School’s out for summer and the heat is calling you into vacation mode. Vacations should be a time to relax and get out of the ‘everyday grind’ for a while. The goal should be to keep that relaxed feeling for at least a few days after you return back to normal life. To help avoid coming home to find your property has been visited by unwanted people, here are some tips to help protect your home.

Keep Quiet About Your Vacation
You’re excited you’ll be heading out of town and want to let everyone know your vacation plans. Or while away, you want to share your adventure with friends and family via social media. Unfortunately, posting about your vacation prior to leaving or during can alert potential robbers to a perfect target, your empty home. We recommend only letting some trusted neighbours and family/friends know you will be away. Save your photos and post about your trip when you return.

Home Inventory Videos
If you arrive home from a vacation to find your house has been broken into, remembering all of your possessions and what might have been taken can be very difficult. We recommend taking ‘home inventory’ videos or photos. Using your smartphone, go room to room (including your garage) and take video that show all your possessions. You should also take videos or photos of the inside of cupboards. This is an easy way to record an inventory of items in your home.

 Appear As If You’re Home
• Try to cut your lawn before you leave. If you’re gone for an extended time, perhaps ask a neighbor or landscape company to cut the lawn so your property appears to be occupied.
• Put your lights on timers. This should help look like you are home.
• Stop mail and newspaper delivery for the time you are away.

Home Security Tips
• Lock your doors and windows. Don’t leave spare keys hidden in obvious places like under the door mat or a flower pot. Better yet, take the keys away or give to a trusted person.
• Lock up expensive jewellery and other items of value. Don’t leave them in plain view, making them easy targets.

Please do all you can to protect your home while on vacation this summer. We really do hope that you’re able to get away and give your batteries a well-deserved recharge. Take care and have a fabulous summer!