Are you planning to go on holiday or leave your property vacant for an extended period of time? Well if you are, have you considered your property’s security? Crime statistics show us around 50% of properties are unoccupied at the time of a burglary. One of the primary reasons for this is burglars actively target properties which are unoccupied as there is a considerably less chance to get caught.
Going on holiday is an annual occurrence looked forward to by most people, it’s a time to leave your worries behind and set off for somewhere different. However, how much time do you spend thinking about your home’s security before you leave on your journeys? The answer is probably not a lot of time. It’s extremely important to consider the risks of leaving your home unattended for a duration of time. In our opinion it is of vital importance to mitigate the risks and take precautions to help ensure your home is as secure a s possible. This can be achieved by planning ahead and with some simple and easy to follow steps.
A Simple Guideline
- Don’t broadcast your absence – Staggeringly 43% of people know their burglar this is why it’s not really a good idea to tell everyone of your holiday plans. As bad as it sounds you never really know who to trust.
- Lock Up – Burglars primarily gain access by using a door. Ensure when you leave your property you lock all locks with your key. This is known as double locking and can make it much harder for criminals to use door bypassing techniques such as hooking, door popping and sliding.
- Window Security – Check your windows around 30% of all burglars gain access by using a window. Most moden windows will have locks fitted but if your window is not fitted with a lock we highly recommend you rectify this potential security issue.
- Protect Against Opportunists – Many burglars are opportunists, so it’s always a good idea to ensure your windows are covered with your curtains or blinds to stop a potential thief from seeing the contents of your property.
- Hide The Fact Your Away – Nothing says I’m not at home more than a big pile of unopened letters or leaflets hanging out of the letter box or maybe a few bottles of milk piling up outside your home. That is why you should consider giving a spare key to a trusted friend, neighbour or family member so they can collect your letters and milk newspapers etc. Alternatively you can cancel your mik and any newspapers for the duration and ask Royal Mail to withhold your mail using Royal Mails Keep Safe service. The service takes 5 days to set up and costs £17 for 17 days.
- Give the Impression your home is occupied – As we stated earlier around half of burglaries occur when the home is unoccupied. Consequently it makes sense to give the impression someone is home. You can easily do this with plug timers. Simply purchase a plug timer from most DIY stores, set them to turn on and off during both the day and night, then plug in a lamp, radios and anything else which may give the impression someone is home. Easy Peasy.
- Prepare for the Worst Case Scenario – No matter how protected you think your home is, a burglar if really committed will find a way in or just end up smashing a window to gain entry. That is why you should always prepare for the worse. It may be a good idea to lock any important paperwork, cash or valuable items away in a safe hidden away out of sight.
This article is written by 24hrs locksmiths, the locksmiths near you who can be with you in as little as 20 minutes in an emergency. You can also book an appointment for time best suiting your needs. All of our locksmiths are fully trained and insured to tackle any lock problem you have encountered, locked out or locked in. We are the locksmiths for you.