Summer Vacation Safety Tips
The summer is finally almost here and that means that many people are going on vacation. Unfortunately, criminals don’t take vacations. In fact, they often increase their crimes around this time because they know many people won’t be at home. Criminals would rather break into an unoccupied location since they will have more time to commit the robbery and they feel as though they will be less likely to be caught.
Therefore, it’s important to take steps to protect your home when you leave town. Here are some summer vacation safety tips.
Make Your Home Look Occupied
One of the summer vacation safety tips for reducing the likelihood of a burglary while you’re on vacation is to make it look like someone is home. Criminals often scout houses for a while in advance before a break-in, and they look for properties that appear empty.You can throw them off by putting your lights on timers, having someone come by to mow your lawn, asking a friend to periodically move your car or adjust your blinds, and by using many other similar techniques.
Cancel Mail and Deliveries
An obvious sign that a home is empty is when mail, newspapers and packages pile up near the front door. Fixing this is one of the most important summer vacation tips. If you’re going away, ask the post office to temporarily hold your mail or have a friend come by and pick it up on a regular basis. Put newspaper deliveries on hold and be sure not to schedule any other deliveries for that time.Be Careful with Social Media
Criminals watch social media for specific details about when people will be out of town. Instead of posting “I’ll be away from the 10th to the 15th” on Facebook, Twitter and numerous other social networks, tell your friends and family privately. If you want to share your vacation details online, post photos and stories once you’re back home. Remember the importance of summer vacation safety tips when you do post.Monitor Your Home Remotely
Here is a newer addition to summer vacation safety. Thanks to modern technology, you can keep an eye on your home from just about anywhere in the world. You can get status updates and notifications on computers, tablets, smart phones and even smart watches like the Apple Watch with a smart home security system.Smart home security systems can send you notices and alerts when anything happens at your property so, if a sensor in your home is triggered or if your alarm system goes off, you’ll know right away and you can act. If you have surveillance cameras hooked up to your system, you can even view live video from your cameras from any Internet-connected device. This technology makes it easy to always know what is going on in your home, whether you’re right next door or on the other side of the world.
For more information on summer vacation safety tips and smart home monitoring, contact a member of the experienced security team at SafeTech. We can help you keep your home secure and show you the latest technology that will allow you to monitor your property remotely.