With the holiday season fast approaching, you may be thinking of taking the time to relax and rewind with your family by jet-setting across the globe. However, for many Australians, taking a well-deserved break often means leaving their home unoccupied for an extended period of time.
In the lead up to a trip, it’s common for planning and packing to become a priority. Whilst this period is exciting, forgetting to put a plan in place for your home’s security could be the pitfall of a successful holiday.
Holidays are often boom time for burglars. Is your home secure? Picture: Shutterstock
A YouGov survey of more than 1000 Australians commissioned by smart home security company Ring in 2017, revealed that many Australians are failing to take precautions to secure their homes over the holiday season.
Two-thirds of respondents (67%) said they planned to visit family and friends during the Christmas period, with more than half of them (58%) admitting to having no home security system. Similarly, of the third of respondents (37%) that planned to go on a holiday, roughly half (49%) had no form of home security.
Whether it’s visiting family and friends for Christmas Day, or boarding a plane and saying goodbye for a few weeks, home security measures are something everyone should consider before closing the door behind them. Our valuables and memories are what make a house a home and no one wants an unexpected break-in or theft to take these away.
Here are some of my tips on increasing the security of your home over the Christmas break.
Ring home security system. Picture: Ring
Become friends with your neighbours: If you’re new to an area, it can be useful to have your neighbours as close friends. Not only can they keep an eye out for any unexpected guests, asking your neighbours to collect your mail, turn some lights on in the evening or take out your bins, all help to eliminate the appearance of an empty home.
Remove valuables from sight: Take the time to check what is visible in your home from the street. As beautiful and festive as it may be, leaving your Christmas tree visible through the window may attract thieves. It’s common for people to place presents out early and these are valuable items that are easily accessible to burglars.
Install sensor lights: An unexpected sensor light placed around your home, like the Ring Spotlight Cam, has the potential to deter thieves looking to stay hidden, it may also leave them speculating as to what other security measures you have in place.
Secure Your Front Door: When given the choice between breaking a window or kicking down a door, the majority of burglars prefer to kick down doors, so If you have any exterior doors that are hollow wood, consider replacing them with a metal or solid wood door, which are much more difficult to kick down. Also think about getting a smart video doorbell like Ring so you can be alerted when someone is at your front door, no matter where you are in the world, and can ask them to leave through the two-way audio.
Keep off social media: Posting pics away is evidence that you aren’t home. Postpone your social media bragging for your return or share directly with close friends you trust.
Mark Fletcher is the Managing Director of Ring APAC.
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Want to WIN a Ring Doorbell? We have a Ring Video Doorbell 2up for grabs in our Family Travel 12 days of Christmas giveaway. If you win, you can keep your house secure with 1080HD video, instant mobile alerts and two-way talk, direct to your smartphone, tablet and PC. Valued at $329.
Click here to enter the Family Travel 12 days of Christmas competition.
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