How to keep your house SAFE while on holidays

Spread the word:
But not on your social media!! Tell your friends and neighbours that you will be away. Hopefully they are nice neighbours & you can tell them who should or should not be at your home during that time. Ask them to check in occasionally. However, it’s best not to advertise your whereabouts on social media, as you never know who will see your status update. Wait to share good times and photos after you return (We know this is hard to do as we all love to make our friends back home super jealous) Remember it’s hard enough to come back from holidays never mind to an empty house!!

Lock up:
Be sure to lock what can be locked while you’re away, including all doors and windows. If there’s a door to your house inside an attached garage, don’t forget to lock that one, too! Reinforce sliding doors with metal rods, and remove spare keys that may be hidden outside (You know those ones under your door matt or the flower pot on your kitchen window) Instead, provide one spare key to a trusted neighbour or family member. As an additional measure of safety, consider investing in an alarm system if you don’t already have one. If the cost of an alarm system is too expensive you can also purchase a fake alarm set that can be attached to the outside of your house. These kits can be a great cost effective option to deter burglars from snooping about.

Put it on hold:
Have your mail held by An Post while you are gone, or ask a reliable neighbour or friend to collect those items daily should you have an external letter box.

Turn them on:
A motion sensor outdoor lighting system is a good way to keep the front & back entrances of your house lit – this feature will also save you money on your electricity bill and your also doing your bit for the environment which is really important also. Televisions, lights or radios triggered by a timer may also give the illusion that there’s someone at home. You can buy these timer plugs from most good D.I.Y stores, they don’t cost that much and can be set to come on for a few hours each night. You could also watch the movie Home Alone for more ideas but we don’t recommend this option.

Safeguard your valuables:
Don’t leave money, important documents or family valuables out in the open. Put them away. Or, better yet, lock them in a safe while you’re gone. Last but not least, take photos of your possessions before you leave in order to have a log of your possessions should you get burgled and need to make a claim on your home insurance policy when you return.

These are a few simple steps that will help safeguard your house from the unexpected. You could also watch the movie Home Alone for some extra tips but we recommend it’s probably best just to follow our advice.

Remember for a great Home Insurance Quote you can contact Westport Credit Union & SAVE €50 MINIMUM on all standards policies T&C’S apply.

Call 098 25614 & speak with us for a great rate quote today.

For more information please click here: Home Insurance