When people are out of the house visiting friends and family a lot over Christmas, and our homes are packed full of brand new and expensive gifts, it’s no wonder that burglaries rise at this time of year. There would be few things more devastating than to come home and realise all of the gifts you’d worked hard to purchase had been taken. To prevent this from happening, there are a few things you can do to stay extra safe.
Secure Your Home
A properly secured home is essential for all year round. But at Christmas especially you should think about upping your defenses. You could look into CCTV systems, have a burglar alarm fitted, make sure windows and make sure windows and doors are completely secure. Other ways you can make your home less of a target to burglars is to make it appear like someone is in, even when they’re not. Put lamps, TVs and radios on timer switches to emulate people moving around in the home. You could also have a motion detecting floodlight installed around the entrances of your home. Thieves much prefer the cover of darkness. So a light that illuminates anyone walking down your path or standing near any of your doors could be enough to put them off. Set lights to stay on for a number of minutes once they’ve been triggered and ensure the motion detector covers your door area.
Don’t Leave Presents Under The Tree
Presents under the tree are the perfect Christmas scene. But actually, it’s much safer not to do this. Burglars often walk past houses in the daytime and peer through the windows to see what’s on offer. And a huge selection of wrapped up gifts will make your house a target. Instead, put them in a secure place. Putting them up in the attic is a good idea, even if someone were to get it they probably wouldn’t think to look up there. Plus it makes them much less accessible. The average burglar spends less than ten minutes in a home and is more likely to grab things that are readily available. Make this more difficult, and you’ll massively limit what they get away with taking.
Be Careful Posting on Social Media
Social media is a fantastic way to connect with friends, but it’s something you should always use with care. Even if you have a private profile with just friends and family, you never know who else could see what you post. Someone could lose their phone or leave Facebook logged in on a public computer. For this reason, you should always be wary of what you post. This includes posting pictures of your possessions, gifts and your travel plans. If someone discovers you’ll be out of the house between certain days and times and you have something worth taking, they might just act on it.
Get Insured
If the worst were to happen and a burglar got inside and made off with your gifts, having home insurance at least allows you to replace them. When the average family spends hundreds of pounds on gifts, they’re probably not going to be something you could rebuy from your own pocket if something goes wrong. Always make sure you’re locking doors and shutting windows before leaving the house. As if a burglar gains entry this way then your insurance company could refuse to pay out. This is because you will be seen as not taking ‘reasonable care’ of your possessions.
-Dana
Carry on Beautiful! 