Sponsored content
5 budget-friendly ways to secure your home when going on a trip
Dave Smith
November 20th, 2020
Share
This article is more than 4 years old.
If you’re heading out, or even out of the country, a few precautions wouldn’t go amiss (photo: Shutterstock)
Who does not want to feel secure when leaving their home for a vacation or a small trip out of town? Securing your home does not have to be extensive or expensive. You can easily secure your home with these 5 tips.
Install your own Home Security System
You have probably seen some houses with big security systems, allowing the owners to see what happens around their home even when they are not there. These systems are often expensive and complicated to install. However, you can quite easily make your own home security system. It does not have to be crazy expensive or involve big installations.
Most of us have one or more old smartphones hidden in a drawer somewhere. Maybe there is nothing wrong with them, or maybe they need to get the screen or camera fixed. This is easily done, for example at iExpert, who offers walk-in service on iPhone repairs.
If you have one of these old smartphones, you can use it to make your own video surveillance. There are plenty of apps offering good and cheap solutions. All you have to do is put up the smartphone in your hallway, at your office, or wherever you want surveillance. Then the camera will automatically start when there is motion in the room. Then you can oversee any activity directly on your smartphone.
Team up with your neighbours
It is always nice to know the people who live nearby, but you can also benefit from it when you are going away on bigger or smaller trips.
An overflowing mailbox is an obvious sign that might tempt uninvited guests. Also, if all the garbage bins on the street except yours are taken out on a specific day, it is easy to see that you are not home at the moment.
Ask your neighbours to keep an eye on your house, empty your mailbox, and take the garbage out on the weekly garbage collection day. You can also ask one of your neighbours to park their car at your place to make it look like someone is there.
Remember doors and windows
Do not make it easy for someone to break in. Remember to always lock your door when leaving the house – also when you are just running quick errands.
Depending on your current door(s), it might be a good idea to consider changing it/them to a more solid version. The same goes for the locks.
As for the windows, you can easily install window stops. These will make sure that you can open your windows enough to get fresh air inside, but not enough for a person to climb through.
Use motion lights around your house
If motion lights are not already part of your exterior, you should definitely invest in some. It is hard for uninvited guests to sneak around if the light turns on as soon as they approach the house. Any intruders will be easy to see, and the lights might scare them off and make them abort their mission.
In addition, the motion lights will be an advantage for yourself when you come home after dark and need light to find your keys, the lock, etc.
Save your social media posts until you get back
As tempting as it may be to brag about your upcoming trip on social media, you should save the posts for when you come back. Telling your friends, acquaintances – and everybody else who can see your posts – that you are going away and your home will be empty in the coming days is an open invitation to intruders.
Share
