From time to time, you might want to have a vacation in another city, state, or country that will require you to leave the house for quite a long time. When you are having an extended vacation and you need to leave the house empty for about 4 weeks or more, there will definitely be a problem in terms of security if you don’t have any home monitoring system installed. Leaving your house empty for an extended period can make your house vulnerable to burglars.
When burglars see your house as empty or vacant, they will target it and try to steal your valuable items while you are away. Here are 7 checklists to prevent home invasion while you are on vacation:
1. Lock All Doors and Windows
The first thing that you need to do before you are leaving for the airport is that you need to ensure that all the doors and windows are locked tightly and securely. Make sure that there is no opening that you can find for any of the entry points in your house. If you are using a smart locking system, you should be able to see the lock or unlock status for your doors simply by checking your smartphone. Don’t forget to bring the keys with you if you still using the traditional locking system.
2. Assign the Tasks for Lawn Maintenance
Burglars can easily see if a house is vacant by taking a look at how the lawn is being treated. If the lawn seems to be untreated and there are lots of tall grass and wild bushes that grow on it, it is likely that the homeowner is not at home. So, before going for vacation, you should not forget to assign the tasks for lawn maintenance so that you can be sure that there will be people that will help you take care of your lawn while you are away.
3. Set Up Automatic Lighting
The automatic exterior and interior lighting system needs to be activated if you want to make your house as lively as when you are staying there. This will also help to make your house less vulnerable to become the target for home invasion. By setting the automatic lighting for your house exterior and interior, you will simulate the condition when you are staying at home. The lights will be turned on at night and be turned off in the morning as usual.
4. Inform Your Home Security Company
If you are subscribing to a local home monitoring company, it would be great to inform them that you are leaving your house for a certain period. However, informing your social media followers about your vacation information is absolutely not recommended. By informing your home security company, you will be able to improve the security of your property while you are away because the company will be more attentive in dealing with any suspicious movements in your house while it is empty.
5. Enable the Alarm System
Since many homeowners will tend to disable their alarm system when they are staying at home, you should ensure that your alarm system is enabled before you are leaving the house for vacation. This is to ensure that all sensors and detectors will work properly when there are intruders trying to break into your house while it on vacancy. Also, make sure that the alarm system is configured to connect with your smartphone so that you can check it from time to time on the go.
6. Make Sure that Video Surveillance Works Properly
Next to the alarm system, you need to also check if the video surveillance works properly or not. This is important to monitor the condition of your house 24/7 while you are on vacation. Moreover, by connecting it with your smartphone, you can watch the condition of your house from anywhere in the world any time you want. Just be sure that all security cameras can record footage properly and you can check it via the internet easily.
7. Perform Tests on Various Sensors and Detectors
Before leaving the house, you have to ensure that your sensors and detectors are working properly. This includes sensors for fire, water, and natural disasters. You don’t want to leave the house while becoming completely vulnerable to various emergency situations. Make sure that those sensors are connected properly to the authorities so that you can easily ask them to help you in any emergency situation while you are on vacation. It is good to ask your security company to check for all the security devices for maintenance before you are leaving the house to enjoy your extended vacation time.