o you’ve decided you want to get away this weekend. Your bags are packed, the hotel is booked, and you have hopped the train heading OUTBOUND. You’re a few hours from home when you are suddenly struck by the ice-pick of anxiety in your chest–did you leave the oven on after cooking breakfast this morning? If you’ve ever found yourself in this situation (or similar) it sounds like you need to bust out our handy home security checklist!
Home Security Checklist:
Home security checklist–how to make sure your property is protected even when you’re away.
1. How Long Will You Be Gone?
First things first, your home security checklist will change depending on how long your trip is. Are you a weekend warrior? Or are your travel plans more long term, such as a week or more? You probably don’t need to worry much about home security if you’re only gone for a day or two, but the longer you are gone, the more important every safety precaution is.
2. Home Operations in Your Absence
If you are going to be gone for a few days or more, you’ll need to think about the normal daily operations of your home. Do you have pets? Plants? It’s helpful to ask your neighbors or a trusted friend or family member to house-sit for you while you are gone. If they are feeling really neighborly, maybe they will check your mail for you, remove snow in the winter, or trim hedges in the summer. Anything like this increases the appearance that someone is home, and that your house isn’t sitting unoccupied and ripe for the picking.
Make sure you offer to pay your house-sitter for doing these tasks, which keep the daily operations inside your home functioning as usual. Leave your house-sitter your cell number and ask them the text or call you or the police if they see anything suspicious.
3. Safety Precautions
Before leaving your home, make sure to do a once-over of all safety and security items. Make sure all windows and doors are closed and locked. Take a home inventory of personal property. Taking pictures of any assets is helpful, as well as writing down serial numbers on electronics. Put any valuables inside a fire-proof lockbox or safe. Add motion detectors to your outdoor lights so they kick on when triggered by movement, instead of wasting electricity by being constantly on. Make sure you don’t keep a spare key under a mat or any other obvious place outside. The best thing to do is to use a lockbox or leave a key with a trusted neighbor or friend.
4. Energy Bill
Make sure to unplug every electronic except for your fridge. This will not only save energy and reduce the risk of electrical fire, but it will also save you money on your energy bill! Make sure to set your thermostat to a certain temperature so that any pets will be comfortable in the summertime, and so you don’t come home to frozen pipes in the wintertime.
Home Security Checklist Conclusion: It’s Better to Be Safe Than Sorry
These are just a few simple suggestions for what to include in your home security checklist before leaving for a substantial amount of time. It’s always better to be safe than sorry, and you may be surprised how taking just a few simple precautions can really put your anxieties at bay.