Did you know that the dates between Thanksgiving and New Years Eve report the second highest burglary rates of the year? With many families vacationing to visit loved ones during the holiday season, an empty home may be quite tempting to a potential burglar.
A vacation should be fun—you shouldn’t be worrying about whether or not your home is safe and sound while you are away. If you take the necessary steps and precautions, you can be sure that your home is looked after, even while you are not there to look after it yourself.
Here’s what you should do to make sure that your vacant home is not a target for vandals and other criminals:
Ask a neighbor for help
There is probably at least one person in your neighborhood who you could ask for help when it comes to securing your home while you are away. Hand them a key so they can water your plants and take care of your pet. Someone coming and going regularly will help to dissuade criminals from targeting your home.
Ask someone to park their car in your driveway
Nothing says, “Someone’s home!” like a car in the driveway. Either move your vehicles out of the garage and park them in your driveway or as a friend or neighbor if they would like to park their vehicles there while you are away. Again, this will make the house look occupied.
Don’t share travel plans
When you check in at the airport gate, do you also “check in” using Facebook or Instagram?
If so, you’re a burglar’s favorite type of traveler: burglars use social media all the time.
The minute you post trip details, the thief begins planning his own trip – to your empty house. He can find it using Google Street View, online image searches, and Internet directories
It’s easy to see who’s home is going to be vacant and when, just by going online and looking at social media status updates and images. Unless your account is completely private (and then, do you really trust all of your social media followers and friends?), potential criminals will be able to see that you are not home and will probably be able to find your address online or in the phonebook, making you a perfect target.
Leave your lights on
Either leave your lights on (or install timers) or ask that whoever is watching your home leave the lights on when they leave at night. A completely dark house is another sign that no one is home.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, your home insurance is there to help cover from many potential losses. But, it’s the holiday season, and who wants to start the year off with the headache of filing an insurance claim or coming home to a vandalized house. Hopefully, you won’t have to deal with that issue, and these steps should help you to protect your home while you’re traveling.
Happy holidays from Shaefer Insurance!
