Secure Your Home While on Holiday
Now that restrictions have slightly eased in British Columbia, we’re looking forward to exploring our beautiful province and enjoying the rest of what the summer has to offer. Just because you’re on vacation, doesn’t mean your home’s security is. Now, more than ever, security is top of mind for more than one reason. With one residential break in occurring every 90 seconds in Canada, we wanted to share our top five tips for increased home security:
1. Consider Your Blinds
Before going away on vacation, you should consider how you would typically leave your blinds/curtains. If you leave half of your blinds shut and the other half fully open, you should maintain that whilst you’re away. If you have a trusted neighbour coming to check in on your home while you’re away, you could even ask them to come and draw the blinds at night and open them in the morning. The more movement and activity that appears to be happening inside while you’re away, the better.
2. Leave a Light On
Now, we aren’t suggesting that you leave the lights on for your entire trip, but leaving a select number of lights on with an automated timer can make it appear as it you’re at home when you’re really relaxing on a beach. Plus, any potential intruder will be deterred if they see a light on inside your home.
3. Keep Your Location Private
With social media’s increasing presence in our lives, it may be tempting to broadcast on all of your platforms that you are going away on holidays; however, this gives potential intruders (and strangers, for that matter) an inside scoop on your whereabouts. Keeping your location private and off of social media (as well as voicemail messages and out of office replies) will ensure potential burglars aren’t privy to your home’s vacancy or your holiday plans.
4. Arrange for Exterior Maintenance
Ensuring that the exterior of your house is maintained whilst away on vacation is very important. It not only increases the presence of people around your home, which is a deterrent for burglars all on its own, but it provides the appearance that everything in your home is happening as per usual – even if people aren’t outside your house on the regular. We recommend that you stop mail delivery or have a trusted neighbour come and pick up your mail for you while you’re gone and have your lawn cared for on a regular basis until you return.
5. Install a Reliable Security System
Our final, most effective, tip is to install a home security system. There are multiple smart systems on the market that you can connect to your smartphone to ensure the entirety of your home is visible via CCTV footage while you’re away. If you have a monitored security system, be sure to tell the alarm company that you are going away as well as when you will be returning. Monitored security systems will ensure you have peace of mind while you’re away and many will alert and dispatch police if a break-in does occur.
As a locally founded Vancouver security company, IntercomLux is committed to supporting and assisting the community as it relates to security efforts. Even though our primary focus is commercial and event security, we understand that home security still plays a major role in our clients’ personal lives and overall wellbeing. If you would like to learn more information on the services IntercomLux provides please contact our team for a complementary risk consultation and quote.