The holidays are a great time to take a break from your everyday routine and spend quality time with your family. But before you leave town, it’s essential to ensure everything at home is taken care of. This checklist will help you ensure that your home is secure while you’re away on holiday:
Check In With Family & Friends
Before leaving for the holiday, check in with your family and friends to ensure everyone has what they need.
For example, you can ask if they have a full tank of gas (or know how to check) or if someone is staying at their house while they are out of town. You might also want to ensure that your elderly family members have enough food, medicine, and other necessities before leaving them alone.
Children will probably want reassurance that Santa Claus won’t forget them on Christmas Eve; remind them that Santa is watching and will be sure not to miss anyone good all year long!
Finally, suppose you’re traveling with pets this year. In that case, they must get the right amount of exercise and care while in your care during this busy time of year — so check in regularly with their veterinarian or local animal shelter.
Lock Your Doors & Windows
Before you leave your home, lock all doors and windows. This common-sense safety tip can prevent someone from entering your home while you’re away.
This can be especially important for those who live in areas with high crime rates or if you have children in your home. If you’re taking a vacation somewhere else and leaving your house empty, ensure that all of your doors and windows are locked and secure before leaving.
Let Someone Know Where You’re Going
You want to ensure that a close family member or a trusted friend has the address of where you are going and contact information with them. This includes a phone number, email, and social media. If you don’t want to give out this information, consider leaving a note on the fridge with your destination so they can contact someone who can help.
Let Someone Know When You’ll Be Back
Before you leave, let your immediate neighbors, family members, and friends know when you will be back. This can be particularly important if you live in an area where power outages are common, or there is a risk of flooding.
Connect Your Lights To A Timer
Lights are a great way to reduce the risk of burglary. Leaving lights on inside your home, even when nobody is there, can help deter potential thieves because they will think you are still home. If you need to turn off the lights at bedtime, set a timer so it looks like somebody is sleeping in your bedroom (this could also mean setting up a camera).
Make sure any rooms with valuables are dark and free from bright lights. For example, suppose someone breaks into your house while you’re gone but can’t see anything valuable because of the lack of light.
In that case, they may decide not to steal anything or just leave without taking anything further than what they came for initially (burglars usually don’t want to spend too much time in one place).
Give A Spare Key To A Neighbor
The last thing you want is to come home to find that your house has been ransacked. Giving a key to a neighbor or friend could go a long way toward helping you feel more secure, and it’s relatively easy to do.
If you’re worried about giving out the house keys, consider asking them in advance if they would be willing to stop by now and then (maybe once every few days) just to check on things and ensure everything is safe. This way, if there are any problems with the house or its security system (such as an alarm malfunction), they will have access in case of an emergency or issue that needs attention before you get home again.
Also note: when handing over keys or making other arrangements for someone else to check up on your property — make sure whoever has access knows how important their job is! Make sure they understand what needs looking after.
If possible, give them specific instructions ahead of time so there aren’t any misunderstandings down the line when something goes wrong while they’re watching over things.
When you’re planning to be away from home for an extended period, it’s essential to ensure you have someone who can check up on your house and pets while you’re gone. This will help ensure that everything is in good working order when you return and that nothing has been stolen or damaged while you were away.