Preparing for vacation is more than booking a flight. When it comes to keeping your home safe, think about the whole picture, like the landscaping and mail. Small actions can provide ample security.
Hiring a house sitter: Safest route. The cost may be greater to pay a friend or relative to take over the responsibilities of your home while you’re off gallivanting, but it is certainly more secure. Plus, you get to skip all of the other tedious steps and move right along to vacation mode and no plants or animals go uncared for.
Mail and newspaper: Don’t let your letters be tampered with or stolen while you’re gone! USPS offers the service of putting your mail delivery on hold for three days to a month. Either call your local post office or check to see if you can submit the request online in your area.
It’s pretty easy to tell no one is home if there’s a pile of soggy newspapers out on the front lawn. If you still get your news the old-fashioned way, cancel your paper service while you’re gone. And if not, are you in a neighborhood where people leave fliers on your door? Ask a friend to swing by from time to time to pick up yellow page books or ads dropped on your door.
Lights, mower, action!: A vulnerable home is an empty home, so put on a show while you’re away. Invest in some light timers to help give the illusion of occupancy. See if you can arrange a neighbor to take your trash cans to the road along with his own. Hire someone to do landscaping, even if it’s as minimal as the kid down the road that mows lawns for his xbox fund.
Discretion: We all know you’ll be posting pictures of your vacation, but take a moment to reflect about how broad an audience you want knowing you aren’t around to protect your home. You might want to edit your privacy settings a tad before you go advertising your absence.
In home: Lock stuff, but more thoroughly than you usually would. To avoid other more “natural” fiascos like flooding or fire and to be efficient, turn off water, gas, and breakers. If these interfere with your timed lights, refrigerator, and your watering system for your yard, consider investing in a bypass valve for your irrigation and label breakers so you know which ones to leave on. Unplug all your unnecessary appliances and electronics, and since you won’t be around to appreciate the bought air anyways, adjust the thermostat or turn it off altogether.
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