Home security while you're on holiday

We all know the feeling. You're sitting on a beach on holiday somewhere, relaxing, when suddenly you think about your house, sitting empty, and it leaves you with an uneasy feeling as you wonder 'is everything ok?' Make sure the answer is a firm yes, followed by a contented sigh and a return to your well-earned relaxation, by arranging adequate security precautions before you jet off on your holiday.

Firstly, make sure you have done all the obvious things, such as locking all the doors and windows and setting the alarm – if it's a monitored alarm, don't forget to give your monitoring station the details of the key holder. Also, remember to lock any garages, sheds or other outbuildings, and to remove any valuables from them.

Cancel any deliveries of milk, newspapers, vegetable boxes or anything else you get delivered regularly. If this involves talking to your local shopkeeper, do it discreetly or over the phone, rather than announcing to the entire shop exactly how long you plan to be away. Not only may the food go to waste, if it's left outside your front door for a few days or more, it's an obvious clue to burglars there's no-one in.

It is often difficult to decide whether to leave curtains open or closed. The best option is to ask a neighbour to come in and pull them each morning and evening. If this is not possible, invest in some timer switches to turn lights and a radio on and off in the evening, making your house look as though it is occupied. Also, don't leave valuable items such as laptops or digital cameras out on display and visible through downstairs windows.

If you do have neighbours willing to help, ask them to also collect your post and to park on your drive if you have taken your car with you.

If you have a neighbourhood watch scheme in your area, enlist the help of members to keep an eye on your property.

An alternative way of avoiding the telltale pile-up of post inside your front door is to get Royal Mail to hold on to your letters until you return, by using its Keepsafe service.

If it's summer, mow your lawn before you go away so that it doesn't become too overgrown in the time you're on holiday.

Make sure you put all your important personal documents and your most valuable items such as jewellery in a home security safe or deposit them with your bank. If your house should then get broken into (despite all your precautions), at least your most important possessions will be safe from theft.

All this precaution may seem a little overzealous, but with four out of five burglaries occurring when a house is unoccupied* it makes sense to be careful.

It is also worth noting that your Churchill home insurance will cease to cover you against accidental damage or theft if your home has been unoccupied for more than 30 days in a row, so if you're planning a long trip you will also need to make special insurance arrangements.

*Source: Home Office Crime Reduction

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