Summer holiday security at home

Summer holidays are a tempting time for burglars here in NZ. It’s a time for outdoor living when lots of people leave doors and windows open, houses are full of christmas presents, toys and new electronic devices, and most obviously lots of people are away from home on holiday for a week or two.

So what can you do to boost your home security and minimise the chance of becoming a burglary statistic over the festive season?

Our first suggestion just makes good sense over the christmas period, even if you aren’t too worried about security. Get to know your neighbours better, and what could be better than doing it over a BBQ, a few drinks or a plate of mince pies on a warm sunny summer evening? The more of the other people living in your street that you know and get on with, the more people there are keeping an eye out for each other, which has got to be a good thing.

Next, watch out for opportunistic thieves. Summer is a great time to open your house up to your garden and deck, the nice cool breeze, the kids playing with the hose, leaving the garage open while you mow the lawn.

The problem is that plenty of burglaries are as simple as someone seeing an open door and nobody around. They walk in, grab a wallet, smartphone or laptop and leg it down the street.

We’re not suggesting that you always keep all your doors and windows shut and locked, maybe just make sure it isn’t too easy for someone to walk into your house through the front if everyone is round the back or vice versa.

Don’t advertise your home as an easy target. Social media is big part of people’s lives these days, but don’t assume that it’s just your friends that are liking your holiday posts and pictures.

For some burglars, seeing your post from the airport at the start of your trip away can be as good as a sign in your front yard saying ‘We’ve gone on holiday, help yourself’. Check your security settings on any social media that you use, and think about limiting access to you social media to people who really are your friends.

Make it look like you are home, even if you aren’t.  Plenty of things are a dead give away that you aren’t at home, the letters sticking out of the letterbox, a pile of newspapers on your drive, no lights on in the house each evening, or a normally neat lawn and garden getting overgrown.

Again, neighbours and friends are a massive help here. Ask someone to clear the mail and newspapers, see if they’ll mow your lawn and tidy your garden a bit for you, or pay a gardening service to come and do it while you are away.

Timers on lamps can help make it look like rooms are in use in the evening.

Even better, you could think about getting someone in to house sit for you while you are away.

Use smart security camera technology to keep an eye on your house from wherever you are for the summer holidays.

CleverLoop is a powerful, cost effective, easy to set up way to have a security camera system covering the inside and outside of your home.

The ability to live view cameras, record footage to a hard drive and get alerts of significant events direct to your or other smartphones is the next best thing to being there yourself when it comes to home security.

Here’s to a great, secure summer holiday from the team here at CleverLoop.