How to secure your home when you’re away on vacation should be something everyone considers before leaving town… Your bags are packed, the kids are in the car, the dog is with your friends across town and all of your doors are locked. Let the summer vacation begin! A few days into your trip, you get a voicemail — your neighbor saw what looked like a flashlight peering through your windows last night. When you ask a friend to go check on your house, he finds a broken window in the back and missing valuables throughout the house. You’ve been burglarized.
What went wrong? You locked the doors. You left a light on a timer to be on for most of the night. You even kept a car in the driveway.
Unfortunately, thieves of today are savvy and looking for homes that don’t utilize technology. When it comes to home safety, technology can be your best friend.
When you plan to be out of town for a long time, you want to make sure you have an alarm system. Alarms that can be set with a password or code will ensure that only you (and those you’ve told) can get into your home without setting off the system. If you don’t have an alarm, pick up a SimplySafe kit on Amazon for only around $250.
Be sure that your alarm is operable before you leave for your trip, and, if possible, install it several weeks before so anyone “casing” the area is deterred from breaking into your home for fear of tripping the alarm.
Another gadget that can be helpful in ensuring your home’s safety is a remote doorbell. Typically your friends and family will know that you’re on a vacation, so they won’t be the ones knocking. However, delivery services and door-to-door sales folks shouldn’t necessarily know that you are away. If they continue to leave things at your door, including packages you’ve been awaiting, your home becomes a bigger target.
Additionally, burglars have been known to try ringing doorbells late at night to confirm that no one is home. With a remote doorbell that has a recording camera, such as our favorite, the Ring Doorbell 2 on Amazon for just $199 you can see who it is and even talk to the person to ask what their business is at your home!
If that doesn’t run a thief off, it automatically records a video and picture of them, saving it to the cloud so you can have it ready when you file a police report.
If a burglar does in fact break into your home, the best way to protect your valuables is with a bolted home safe in a well-hidden area. We found this SentrySafe on Amazon with good reviews for just $198.
Place any loose items of value, such as jewelry, extra cash, small electronics, critical identity information and legal documents in the safe when you leave for extended trips.
Finally, for the interior of your home, you may want to monitor it using a NestCam on Amazon for only $175 or similar style camera system.
Home camera systems that let you check in on your property from anywhere in the world are highly recommended. Our own Jeff Zisner discussed the importance of drop cameras with CBS 2/KCAL 9 in light of this string of home burglaries.
For individuals with lots of assets and valuables, AEGIS Security & Investigations provides temporary patrol car rentals with the car parked outside your home and guard services.
When you are going on vacation, leaving lights off, not having your car out front, or letting mail and newspaper clutter build up are all signals that the house is open to burglars. However, if you leave a car in the driveway or have an automatic light system come on for a few hours in the evening, it appears that someone is home, decreasing the likelihood of burglary. The effect is amplified dramatically with decoy patrol car parked in front of your home. A patrol car is a clear sign that a security officer is nearby and on-call (even if they’re). And at a lower rate than having an active or standing patrol, parking a decoy patrol car in front of your home or business can save you hundreds of dollars a day.
In addition to decoy patrol cars, AEGIS’ estate security officers are top-notch. They are well-versed in how to monitor estate perimeters and identify suspicious activities and persons. Additionally, we analyze the size and placement of the property to place security officers and upgraded security systems in strategic locations throughout, allowing us to accurately maintain a secured perimeter. The choice to utilize a security guard ensuring you are dedicated to fully securing your estate.
Ultimately, any type of physical, visible security will act as a deterrent to criminals. While you may have “hidden” cameras throughout your home, it is just as important to make it known that the home is under surveillance. Having security officers on property ensures that a response can take place immediately in the case of a burglary. The key is prevention, and enhancing your security measures will do just that.
AEGIS Security & Investigations is a Los Angeles region company that is licensed and insured in the State of California to provide high-end armed and unarmed regular and temporary off-duty police officers, bodyguards, security officers, loss prevention agents, and event staff. Additionally, we offer services for private investigation, consultation, people tracing, and background investigation. Our trainings and workshops in the field of security licensure and counter-terrorism have been featured in news media and are renowned for their efficacy. For more information or to contact us, visit www.aegis.com.
