It’s that time of the year when most people leave their cities to take a vacation. Your house is locked but remains unattended for many days. Are you also planning to go on a holiday? If yes, have you made sure your house is safe and secure enough in your absence? If you are not very sure, then read on:

Taking care

Take extra precautions. Vacation time means you have to be extra alert. You don’t want to signal your absence with a pile of newspapers on your balcony and an overflowing mailbox. Temporarily stop your newspaper and have the post office hold your mail until you return. If you have a lawn, have someone mow it regularly. If possible, you should ask a trusted friend or neighbour to stop by and check on your home while you’re away.
Develop good security habits. Roughly one-third of all thefts and burglaries occur through unlocked doors and windows. You should establish a routine to follow before you leave home, such as making certain all doors and windows are locked and alarm systems are turned on.

In addition, don’t hide house keys in obvious places, such as under doormats or on top of the doorframe. As an option, you can leave one duplicate key with your friend, trusted neighbour or a relative. God forbid, if anything serious happens, in your absence (fire, overflowing water, gas leakage, etc,) at least the doors don’t have to be forced open.

Make sure exterior doors are strong. The doors to your home should be made of metal or solid hardwood and be at least one inch thick. It is also important that your door frames are constructed equally well and that doors fit in their frames securely. A weak door or a doorframe renders a good lock useless. Add an extra lock for sliding glass doors to prevent them from being forced open or lifted off of their tracks.

Deadbolt locks offer the best protection. The cylinder (where the key is inserted) should be ‘pick resistant’. Some deadbolts are locked with a key from the outside and a thumb turn on the inside. Others, known as double-cylinder locks, require keys on both the outside and the inside. If you install a double-cylinder lock, keep the key within reach of the door in case family members need to leave quickly due to a fire.

Right alarm

Consider these alarms. Today there are many equipment and devices in the market which give your home foolproof protection.

Security systems vary in cost. Survey the market and choose the best (no compromise on quality and price here). Fire, smoke and burglar alarms are a must. You need a fire alarm on every level of your home. Single level homes and apartments should have fire alarms near the kitchen and all sleeping areas. Make sure everyone in your home recognises the sound of the alarm and knows what to do in case of a fire or theft.

Putting an intrusion alarm system is also advisable. There are a few very sophisticated detectors as well that will catch your neighbour’s attention in case of any unwanted activity, while you are away — motion, glass break, infrared, magnetic, sound, etc. If you don’t want to look for separate devices for separated things, then go for an integrated security system that takes care of almost every aspect of safety of your home.
Leave your home well lit. When you go out for the evening, leave a few lights on in the house, and leave the outside lights on, too.

Place outdoor motion-activated floodlights high out of reach so they can’t be easily tampered with. Before going away for a few days, you can leave a zero watt bulb on, outside your home. Considering the safety aspect, don’t mind paying a little more for the electricity. There are automatic lights also which have timers attached. Lights go on and off at a set time and are very useful in your absence. Coming back to a safe and secure home will make your fun-filled vacation complete.