The holidays are fast approaching and many traditions include traveling. With home break-ins being on the rise, you don’t want to leave your home unprotected. Empty homes are a banquet hall for scoundrels who are out to take what does not belong to them.
Texan Lock & Key would like to offer a few tips and ideas on how to better keep your home safe and secured.
– Neighbor Surveillance. When preparing to leave out of town, it is good to have a close neighbor keep an eye on your home while you are away. They are within view of your place, and know who should, and shouldn’t be around. If you are not particularly close with or trust any nearby neighbors, ask a friend or family member to check in often. Keeping activity in your house can reduce the availability to the unsavory sort. Should you have multiple people coming and going from your home, letting the watchers know would be a good idea so no un-needed police calls are made.
– Don’t announce your travel plans. In an era where every moment is documented in social media, it is best to keep your vacation plans to those who need to know in person. Posting your pictures upon your safe return is better suited. Many criminals have accounts on social media and in reality, you never know who has the skill to peek at yours.
– Curtains and blinds – To open the curtains, or not to open the curtains. If you open your curtains you may feel that’s an unwritten invitation to be victimized. But if they are closed, your trusted watchers may not see any unwelcomed guests and notify authorities. Best solution; leave your curtains like how would if you were home. The seasoned criminals look for changes in the home to give them clues when no one is there. Do keep as many valuables out of window shot to make your home less enticing.
– Avoid light streaming. Lights left on for your extended vacation all day and all night is very costly. The energy bill would be eye-widening and wasting energy isn’t very “green”. Burning light through the late hours of the night would also raise suspicion. Investing in light switch timers is the more cost effective way to go. Your lights will turn on and off in giving the illusion your home is occupied, but won’t cost you in energy bills.
– Mail and Advertisement Clutter. You don’t want mail, newspapers, or door hangers to pile up. Put a “stop” on newspapers and mail if you’re you plan to be gone more than week. If you don’t want to put up with that aggravation, ask your friends, family, or neighbor to pick it up for you.
– Utilities. In colder climates, make proper arrangements to keep your pipes insulated. Unless you have an actual house sitter, turn off the main water valve. You can show your house care giver where the valve is in the event they are caring for plants or pets that require daily watering. If that is too time consuming for your house-sitter, perhaps asking them to do a quick sweep of every room is in order. No one wants to come home to a flood. Your power sources need to be addressed. If your house sitters are not occupying the house for long periods of time, unplugging all unnecessary electronics is strongly recommended. This will help save a ton on your bill, as even items turned off can draw energy, but it could also prevent any issues while you are away.
– Spare key. Should a criminal realize your home is empty, keeping a spare key in the obvious places is begging for him to come in and help themselves. Give your key to the trusted person keeping an eye on things instead.
Professional Home Safety & Security, Rekeying & Changing of Locks, Spare Keys in Killeen, Austin, San Antonio, Round Rock, San Marcos, Frisco, Austin, New Braunfels and Houston TX
Remember to think ahead and make the appropriate plans and security measures for your humble abode. If you are uncertain to how many keys are floating around for your home, having a skilled professional from Texan Lock and Key to re-key your home can give you peace of mind in your absence.
