Holiday Security Tips

What can you do to protect your home against intruders when you and your family are away on holidays out of town? There's nothing more tempting to a thief than a house, which is obviously empty, and the golden rule is not to advertise the fact that you're away.

An overgrown lawn and a pile of newspapers and junk mail hanging out of the letterbox are the equivalent of a big billboard in the middle of your front yard saying, "I'm on holidays, help yourself to my stuff".

Other telltale signs for thieves include forgotten radios blaring 24 hours a day, lights that stay on all night, and curtains, which are normally open during the day, being left, closed.

So what can you do to make sure your home is not a target for burglars while you're on holidays?

• Make sure all windows are closed and locked. If you have deadlocks don’t forget to use them. Also remember to lock garages and sheds.
• Use timers to turn certain lights on for a couple of hours in the evening, or to turn the television on for certain programs.
• Remember to set your EZY Security alarm system when you leave, also hide your valuables in a safe place.
• Get a neighbor or friend to clear your mailbox, put your garbage bins out on bin night and make sure they bring them in the next day.
• Make sure that the contact numbers you have programmed into your  EZY Security alarm system are people that definitely can be contacted. Make sure they are not also away on holidays.
• If necessary, give them a spare key and the PIN number for your alarm system so they can get into the house and adjust the curtains, blinds, etc.
• Don't leave a spare key under the mat or in another 'secret' hiding place. Experienced burglars have seen most of them before and know where to look.
• Get the post office to hold your mail and cancel any other regular home deliveries.
• Get a neighbor to park their car in your driveway at different times.
• Put some old clothes on the washing line.
• Trim the bushes and arrange for lawns to be cut if you're away for more than a fortnight.
• Lock your power box with an electricity authority lock (to which you and the electricity company have a key) so that your alarm system can't be cut off from the power supply.

If you follow these tips you will certainly have a far better chance of finding your house exactly the way you left it, on your return from holidays.