Going away for the holidays? Read our 8 top tips on keeping your home safe when you're away.
Here are our top tips for keeping your home safe whilst you’re away.
1. Tell no-one
We know that you’re excited about getting away for Christmas, whether you’re visiting family and friends or hitting the beach and getting your tan on, and want everyone to know, but you should be careful who you tell.
Knowing that a house is empty for the week is a burglar’s dream, and you could get home to a nasty surprise.
Obviously, it’s ok to tell your friends (half the fun of holidays is getting excited about them), but be careful who else you tell, especially if they know your address. You can probably live without the postie / builder / gas engineer / corner shop owner / uber driver knowing how you’re looking forward to a week of Christmas food, and even though the vast majority are trustworthy, they might be less careful with the fact that your house is empty for the week than you are.
2. Use your work address on your baggage label
Suitcase packed?
It’s a good idea to use a baggage label in case it gets lost, but pop your work address on there instead of home. In fact, a business card is often the perfect size.
That way anyone who sees your luggage on the way to the plane won’t know where you live, and if you lose it, you’ll probably want it to be delivered to work afterwards anyway.
3. Give someone a spare key
Most people have a friend or neighbour who wouldn’t mind keeping a spare key for them.
Imagine how it would feel if just as you were settling down for some eggnog or hot chocolate, you get a call from the flat below saying there is water leaking from your flat.
That’s when you want to be able to call in a big favour!
(Plus, you won’t be tempted to do anything silly like leaving a key out under the mat.)
If you’re going away for more than a week, why not ask them to pop over, clear up the post and check everything is ok?
You can always return the favour at a later date.
Alternatively you could get a security camera and get your friend access to the app! Check out our 'best security cameras for renters in 2021'
4. Leave a light on
It’s not the greenest, but we’ll let you off this once.
Try to pick a light that makes it look like you’re sitting in a room that can’t be seen from the outside. To make it more green why not invest in a timer? This way you can schedule the lights for a few hours a day they would usually be on.
5. Close the curtains
Close curtains or blinds which you might usually expect to be closed during the day (e.g. ones for a window which faces onto a busy street, at ground level)
Else leave them open. It makes it look like someone is at home.
6. Hide your valuables
Should anyone actually get in, it’s best if you make things as hard for them as possible, so pick those couple of priceless items and hide them away.
We prefer random spots. Our favourites include:
- At the bottom of the bin (wrapped of course)
- In the freezer
- Inside the vacuum cleaner
- In the kettle
Be creative! (And then take photos of where you’ve hidden them on your phone, so you can find them when you get back)
Check out our top tips on keeping you home more secure '10 ways to make a rental home more secure'.
7. One final sweep
Before you leave, it’s time to do one final sweep of the house. Here is our check list to make sure you have everything:
- Windows closed and locked
- Patio door locked
- Fresh food in the bin
- Bins taken out
- Light left on
- House alarm set
- Front door locked including deadlock
- Got your passport?
8. Relax and enjoy
Whatever you do, the chances of something going wrong are quite small (especially if you follow our top tips), so don’t let worrying about home spoil your trip.
Want even more peace of mind? You should make sure that your home insurance is up to date. You can buy insurance even if you rent your home, which covers your personal possessions. You can get a quote from Urban Jungle by clicking on the button below.
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