HOME SECURITY WHILE YOU ARE AWAY
• Make your home look like someone is living in it.
• Don’t discuss holiday plans where strangers may hear details of your absence.
• Make an arrangement with a neighbour to check your home regularly.
• Ask a neighbour for curtains to be drawn and lights to be put on at night. If snowing a few footprints will make the house appear inhabited.
• If curtains can’t be drawn don’t close them before you depart – leave them as normal.
• If a neighbour cannot collect your mail, the Royal Mail ‘Keepsafe’ service will keep your mail for up to 2 months while you are away.
• Cut the lawn before you go and, if away long enough, arrange for lawn care during your absence.
• Use automatic time-switches to turn lights on when it goes dark. Plug a radio into a timer to create noise during the day.
• Check your insurance for expiration dates and coverage for your car, home and the valuables that you’ll take with you, as well as those you’ll leave at home. Some insurance policies don't cover you if you are away for more than 30 days.
• Leave valuables and important documents in a safe, bank security box or with relatives. If you can’t, hide valuable items in your house.
• Notify the police, the alarm company and neighbours to treat any alarms as real. Give them the name of a keyholder.
• Cancel newspaper and milk deliveries.
• Lock all doors and windows including basement, garage and any outhouses.
• Unplug electronic items to protect them if you have a storm while you’re away. But not the fridge or freezer.
• If possible pack your car inside the garage, with the door down, so people driving by won’t find out you’re leaving.
• Ask your neighbour to put out the dustbin on the normal collection day and put some of their rubbish in it if necessary.
• Don’t advertise your absence on your answering machine. Leave the normal message or unplug the machine while away.
• Make sure the alarm is set before you leave.
• If you don’t have an alarm, consider investing a few pounds in a dummy alarm box. It may deter the opportunist thief.
INFORMATION TO LEAVE WITH A NEIGHBOUR
• A complete trip itinerary with a list of where you’ll be staying with address and phone number.
• Details of family members to contact in an emergency.
• A security system lesson if applicable, keys to the doors and letterbox.
• A copy of your passport so they could fax it to you in case you lose your copy.
• Plant care and watering instructions.
• Pet care instructions.
OTHER USEFUL TIPS
• Empty the refrigerator of items that might spoil and turn your refrigerator to its lowest setting.
• Turn water heater down to the lowest setting.
• Turn your heat down or off but be sure to leave the house warm enough in the winter to protect water pipes.
USEFUL LINKS
www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime/burglary/preventionadvice
Advice from the UK Home Office on security preparations before you go away and at other times.
www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs2/hs_away.html
A useful leaflet from the UK Home Office on home security when you are away.