Whether you’re leaving your home for a week or for a year, leaving your house on it’s own leaves it susceptible to being broken in to. This is obviously a highly unpleasant experience and can result in the theft of items and the damage of property. While you may have home insurance and contents insurance to cover these things, it’s still going to be a highly disturbing event that leaves you feeling unsafe in your own home and it will still be stressful to repair as well as increasing the rate on your home insurance. Furthermore, some things that get stolen are completely un-replaceable; hard drives containing old photos or your life’s work, or sentimental jewelery etc. It’s important then if you’re going away to make sure that no one will be able to break into your house, and to leave deterrents that will hopefully mean they don’t try and move on to easier targets.
The first line of defense when leaving your house is to make sure that you don’t leave anything open or leave any keys in sight. Many people hide a set of keys under a doormat or plant pot that they use in case they manage to forget them or lock themselves out. While this might seem like a good idea for those reasons, it can also help a burglar to get in if they manage to find them, and it normally doesn’t take long to do a sweep of the perimeter. Similarly some people leave windows open to ‘air’ the house or again to help themselves get in should they leave keys. This again though makes it very easy for someone to climb in should they notice the window, or even to reach in in order to open a smaller window. Even if the ones you leave open are high up, bare in mind that it’s not unlikely for thieves to come prepared and bring a ladder. Continue reading ‘How to Prevent Your Home Being Broken Into’ »