Data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) show that theft was the most common type of property crime in the US back in 2019, with 1,549.5 incidents for every 100,000 individuals. Meanwhile, burglary came in at second with 340.5 reported incidents for every 100,000 people, followed by motor vehicle theft at 219.9 for every 100,000 individuals.
These alarming figures point to the vulnerability of homes to thieves who grab at every opportunity to take valuables from homes, particularly the unguarded ones.
If you’re someone who loves to travel and leave your home unattended, you should be alarmed by these data since you’re essentially at the mercy of lawless elements who are after your money, jewelry, and anything of value inside your property.
Here are six tricks on how you can safeguard your property against unauthorized access while you satisfy your penchant for travel:
Hire security guards.
If you do have the money for it, the best course of action to avoid falling victim to property theft while you’re miles away from home is to hire security guards to watch over your property. You can contact a reputable armed property security company to provide you with one or two armed guards (depending on how big your property is), so you can travel and enjoy a weekend or two of stress-free sojourn.
While this remedy may cost you a considerable amount of money, the peace of mind and security that you can gain from it is easily worth your financial investment.
Do not announce your travels on social media.
A lot of individuals who travel frequently have the seemingly harmless, but rather dangerous habit of announcing their itineraries on their social media accounts such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. While it’s true that there’s nothing wrong with letting your close friends and family members experience the joy that you feel while traveling, you have to know that other people can gain plenty of information from such social media posts.
If you really must share your travel experiences with your social media contacts, then do so after the fact. With this, you won’t unnecessarily put your property’s security in danger since you’ll already be back at home when your travel photos get uploaded online.
Invest in smart lights or timers.
While it’s true that no amount of deterrents can stop a determined burglar from ransacking your home while you’re away, it’s still best to have some simple measures to make them believe that someone is inside the home.
The most economical and simplest way to do this is by investing in smart bulbs and timers that would automatically turn on the interior and exterior lights once darkness sets in. There are plenty of smart LED lights that you can choose from and buy online, so this should be a pretty straightforward affair.
Lock all access points.
No matter how urgent you want to pack your things and leave home for your planned vacation or travel, you must properly lock all access points in your property. These include the garage door, windows, and doors. Even if you think you have already locked everything, you should always give it a second go for good measure, which is a simple trick called check-double check (CDC).
Inform your alarm company (or invest in a high-end alarm system if you don’t have one yet).
If you already have an alarm system installed in your home, it would be great if you won’t just activate it, but also give your alarm company a quick heads-up. This measure would ensure that there would be someone to monitor if your home’s alarm would be triggered, so you would be properly notified. You could arrange for the alarm company to notify local law enforcement on your behalf if they get an alert that your home has an unwanted visitor.
Meanwhile, you should seriously consider getting a high-end alarm system if you don’t have one installed yet. With such a security feature, you can get real-time notifications if the alarm system gets triggered while you’re out, so you could act accordingly.
Turn off anything that could start a fire or flooding.
Residential fires due to unattended electrical appliances and electronic devices that were left by homeowners are pretty common. Water damages due to faucets that were left running by property owners are also prevalent, sadly. So, do yourself a favor and make sure to unplug everything that consumes electricity, except for the ones that you really need to be plugged in and won’t necessarily start a fire. Also, turn off all faucets before heading out, so you won’t come home to flooded property.
No one should sacrifice the joy of traveling just because he or she worries about leaving the home unattended. Just follow these simple tips and you can satisfy your wanderlust while keeping your home safe from intruders.
