There’s nothing better than coming home to a clean, quiet home after a blissful vacation. And to make sure that your property stays that way while you’re gone, there are a couple of things I suggest doing before heading out to a lengthy stay out-of-home. A secure home makes for a worry-free vacation and a welcome homecoming.

Even a house needs a sitter.

Investing in a pet or house sitter can be an excellent idea if you’re gone for more than a couple of days (though it doesn’t hurt if you’re only gone for a few days either). Using someone you trust to keep your house lived-in, not to mention water plants, pick up papers, and care for the pets, can take a load off your mind and keep your house the safest possible while you’re having fun in the sun. There are even services that provide sitters for you.

Paper clutter acts as a cue to potential burglars.

Calling your local post office to hold your mail delivery (or forward it to another address if you’ll be away for a matter of weeks or months) is a good way to keep it from building up in your mailbox. You can stop your mail online, entering your address and dates you’ll be gone in order to use this free service. It’s also a good idea to stop your newspaper delivery so that they don’t start to pile up, a dead giveaway that you haven’t been home in a while. The same goes for fliers and pamphlets left behind by solicitors (ask a neighbor or friend to walk by every day or so to collect these).

When it all goes silent …

There’s a lot of activity that goes on when a house has occupants from lights and sounds to comings and goings. When you’re away, things go dark and quiet, a sure sign to outsiders that nobody’s home. Timers are a good way to counteract this, an inexpensive way to at least keep lights turning on and off. Relying on a neighbor to put out garbage tins and putting them back after garbage pickup is also a good way to “alert” the outside that things are proceeding normally at home.

It’s a jungle out there.

But it doesn’t have to be. If you’re the type to keep your yard nice and tidy, make sure that’s kept up while you’re gone. Continue to have a service come by to mow the lawn and look after the landscaping during your absence.

Did you know?

Your local police will keep an eye on things while you’re gone if you ask. Just notify them about how long you’ll be on vacation and they will send someone by at least once a day (typically twice though, once in the morning and once in the evening) to walk around the premises and look for anything unusual. Spotting a cop on your property is a definite deterrent to any potential burglar.

And while you’re at it …

Here are a couple of other things that will keep your home secure:

-Make sure to lock all the locks, even the ones you don’t use on a regular basis (and may be out of the habit of doing).

-Though we’re big on sharing everything virtually, it might be best not to broadcast your absence over the internet. Save all of those great pictures for posting after you’ve gotten back home.

-Disconnect power to appliances and electronics to prevent fires and to save you money.

-Turn off your garage door to keep unwanted visitors from accessing it with a universal remote.

-Don’t leave a portable GPS in your car when you’ve parked at the airport; this is a map straight to your empty house for thieves looking to get in.

-Installing security systems are always a good idea.

Article Citation: Elliot, Sara. “10 tips for keeping your home safe while on vacation.” HowStuffWorks. Retrieved July 7, 2015 from: http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/home-diy/safety/10-tips-for-keeping-house-safe-while-on-vacation.htm#page=0.
Picture Citation: http://www.essex.police.uk/images/don’t-forget-480.jpg