Traveling, whether you go for a weekend, the traditional two weeks, or you decide to head off on adventures for months at a time, is good for you. It broadens your mind, you’ll get more exercise, you’ll have fun, and you might even make new friends.
So it’s good to travel, and it’s good to try new things. What’s not good is coming home to a burglary. It would be devastating to have had the most wonderful time away, only to return home to discover that your property had been broken into and your prized possessions were gone.
On top of that, your home might be a mess with things broken and muddy footprints everywhere. The place you had been looking forward to coming back to after some time away would no longer feel like a sanctuary, but would instead be uncomfortable and unpleasant.
That’s why it’s so important to do all you can before you head off on your adventures to ensure that your property is protected, and that, as far as you can be sure of anything, you can be sure it won’t be broken into. Read on for some great ideas about what you can do to protect your home so that you can avoid the worst happening and keep your memories of your time away untainted.
Speak To Your Neighbors
Table of Contents
When it comes to protecting your property, you’ll find that your neighbors are a good choice of people to speak to. If you know your neighbors relatively well, you might ask if they would be happy to keep an eye on your house for you, ensuring that nothing untoward is happening. You wouldn’t ask them to intervene necessarily, but it’s useful to know that if something suspicious were happening at home, there would be someone who might notice and call the police if need be.
To make things even better, you could also ask them to pick up your mail, newspapers, and parcels, so that nothing is left out on your doorstep, indicating that no one is home. This would also make that mail and parcels less tempting for thieves. If you know your neighbors well, they might even go in and draw curtains or turn lights on and off, which would prevent your home from looking empty. Perhaps they would even park in your driveway. If you would do the same for them when they go away, this would be a fair exchange, and you might also buy them a thank you gift on your travels.
Stop The Mail
Although sometimes a burglar will simply choose a house at random, and they won’t know if you’re away for a long time or simply out for the evening, in some cases, to keep themselves from getting caught, they will research each property they are interested in, and watch the owner’s comings and goings. Something that will often tell them that you’re not there and won’t be there for a little while is your mail. If your mailbox starts to get full or there is mail piling up at your door, this is a sure sign that you have gone on a trip. A burglar would then know your house is a good candidate for breaking into.
Did you know there is a simple solution for this? All you need to do is stop your mail, and thieves won’t know you’re not there. Speak to your local post office and they will be able to arrange this for you, or you might be able to do it online, depending on where you live and how long you’re going to be away for. When you stop your mail, it remains at the post office, and you can either collect it when you return or choose a date to have it delivered when you get back.
Get Insurance
Having good home and contents insurance is not going to prevent a burglar from breaking in and taking your things for themselves, so it might seem like a strange thing to put on this list. However, insurance is a form of protection. Even if everything else you do doesn’t work and your home is still broken into while you’re in a different country, or simply a different town, when you have insurance, it won’t be such a troubling time.
You’ll be able to claim for your missing items, and, depending on the level of cover you have, you might even be able to have the repairs done through your insurance too. It won’t stop it from happening, but it will make it easier if it does happen, and it’s better to be safe than sorry in this situation.
Because there are many different types of insurance and many difference levels of cover for all of those types of insurance, it’s best to speak to experts. The team at Bronco Insurance will be on hand to answer your questions and ensure you have the right coverage for your needs, for example. If you’re organizing home insurance (or upgrading the cover you currently have), you can also speak to your chosen broker about travel insurance, since it’s unwise to go anywhere without it.
Be Careful On Social Media
It’s so tempting to post everything on social media, including all your vacation photos. You want family and friends to see what you are doing, and to be excited that you’re having a great time. What’s wrong with that? The truth is that this seemingly trivial and fun thing could be dangerous when it comes to your property. If you post what you are doing and where you are in real time, savvy burglars may be able to see this, and deduce that your home is a good one to rob.
The best thing to do if you want to show people what you have been doing is to wait until you get home. In that way, you can still post your snaps, but your home will be protected. It’s often best to make it clear that you’ve returned; you wouldn’t want a burglar to think you’re away and try to break in when you’re there.
