Away on holiday: How to protect your home when you’re away

How can you improve your home’s security while you’re away so as to best protect against uninvited guests?

Our top tips for making your absence less obvious to burglars.

Preparation is everything when it comes to protecting your home. Refer to our Holiday Check, incl. checklist for security:

• ·        Store your valuables like jewellery, art, antiques, important papers and savings books somewhere safe. Secure storage options include a bank safe or a safe installed securely in your home. Don’t forget to include things that are of sentimental value to you, as these often cannot be replaced.
• Trustworthy neighbours who can help make it seem like you’re at home are like gold dust. You neighbour can keep an eye on your house, collect your post, open the blinds, turn the lights on and off.
• To prevent deliveries from piling up in front of your door, you can manage your postal deliveries on an app.
• Do not leave any ladders outside your home and put your garden furniture away. Burglars could use them to climb up into your home through the balcony.
• It will look like you’re at home if your lawn is mowed regularly and your potted plants don’t wilt from lack of watering.
• Avoid making your travel plans public on social media before going away. Also, do not post holiday photos on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram whilst you’re away.
• Do not leave your luggage stacked up in front of your house for a long time as this clearly shows you will be away for an extended period.
• Do not leave your car visibly packed full with luggage (or with a caravan) parked for hours or overnight in front of your house.
• Do not hide any keys outside your flat or house, e.g, under doormats, plant pots or stones. If you are going to store a key outside, then make sure it is in a specially designed key safe.
• Properly close and lock all windows and doors. Avoid leaving windows open or even tilted as they can be easily opened.
• Switch all electronic devices off to prevent a short circuit.

You’re on your summer holiday, in the Swiss Alps, on a beach somewhere far away, on a city trip or on a skiing weekend in the winter. Your phone rings. A call from the police or your neighbour and suddenly, from one moment to the next, your dream holiday turns into a nightmare. Your home has been broken into. You cut your holiday short, and fly or drive back home as fast as you can.

Your flat or house has been broken into. You see smashed windows or broken down doors. Instead of snorkelling, hiking or sailing, you now have to fill out claims forms for your insurance, go to the police and organise repairs. You have to block your credit cards and order new identity documents. Maybe your home was ransacked, your privacy deeply violated. You’ve been robbed and some things are irreplaceable. Your holiday is ruined, your basic sense of trust shattered. The aftermath of a break-in can often be lengthy and traumatic. Now every time you come home, these heartbreaking scenes flash before you and the feelings of fear and helplessness come back to haunt you.

Instead of looking for the next ideal holiday destination, you’re looking for a new place to live. Almost a third of all break-in victims are so deeply traumatised that they consider moving home, and around 10% actually do.

People are burgled every day, but only 20% of cases are resolved.
That’s why smart home owners protect against it ever happening. Find out more today so you can leave without worries knowing your home is completely secured 24/7, even when you’re away for longer.

There are lots of ways to protect yourself: a guard dog or high fence for starters, an enclosure around your property, guards on windows and doors, simple light timers, a securely bolted safe or even surveillance cameras and an alarm system.

Securing your home through structural measures is very costly and laborious. Every window must be secured, it should have a lockable window handle and, depending on where you live, be fitted with a window grille and security film. Doors should be retrofitted with a multipoint locking system and a burglar-resistant mortise lock with security fitting. Our guide also provides useful information on how to protect against break-ins.

An alarm system is therefore a cheaper, more discreet and, above all, more efficient solution!
A small sensor is enough to protect an entire room – and not just against break-ins. An alarm system also protects you against fire and water. We developed the Complete Service Packet for you so that you can relax in peace, free from worries. We are here for you 24/7, even when you’re on the other side of the world!

Our alarm system protects your home reliably and turns it into a safe and secure place. Even the Securitas Direct stickers act as a deterrent against uninvited guests. If an alarm is triggered, our operation centre is alerted, not you. Within a matter of seconds, the photos of the intruders are analysed, our operation centre immediately calls the police and a Securitas officer when an alarm is triggered. The task force is on site in no time. Once the inventory and forensics have been completed and the police have left the scene, the Securitas officer secures the premises. He writes up the intervention report and resets the security system. After consulting with you, he arranges for the repair of damages as quickly as possible, so as to ensure the security of your home by the time you return. We take care of everything whilst you enjoy your holiday in full without being disturbed.

Insurance figures show that losses from break-ins are reduced by around 90% in homes with an alarm system. Only a networked alarm system with a comprehensive service package and round-the-clock support provides such efficient protection that you can leave your home without worrying and relax.

Get in touch with us. We will draw up the ideal security solution for protecting your home. Expert, no-obligation advice.