It’s the great Aussie tradition of loading up the car for a few days or weeks away for a holiday. Whether it’s for a few days at the beach or a couple of weeks fishing and camping, making sure your home is secure while you are away should be one of the very first things you do. You don’t want to arrive home finding your home has been burgled.

We’ve put together some tips on how to protect your home while your away.

1. Ensure your home insurance is paid and up to date.

2. Think about installing some sensor lights outside around your home. Burglars don’t like to be seen so will steer clear of a home that lights up like your Christmas tree!

3. If your home is protected by a monitored alarm system, ring the company and tell them when you will be away. Also confirm the password you have set with them (if any) and let them know of anyone who may be coming into the house while your away – ie – your parents to feed the pets. Make sure this person knows how to turn the alarm on and off and who to ring if they happen to set the alarm off. Also ensure your electricity bill is paid so that your alarm will work!

4. Let you neighbours know you are going away and ask them to collect your mail and keep an eye on your home. You could even ask them to park in your driveway to give the impression that someone is home.

5. Use timers inside for TV’s, Lamps and radio’s. If you are going away for a long time, it may be worth investing in timers to give the illusion that someone is home. Have your lamps and TV come on at 5pm and turn off at bedtime.

6. Unplug all appliances that don’t need to be on a timer. Kettles, toasters etc. This will help prevent a power surge or electrical fire.

7. Before you leave, triple check that all your doors and windows are locked, curtains and blinds are down, all valuables are hidden out of sight and that there are no broken locks.

8. Add a “Beware of Dog” sign to your gate. This could be enough to deter a would be burglar! 61.4% (source) of burglars are deterred by a dog, especially if it is a noisy one.

9. Don’t advertise your going away on Social Media. No matter how strong you think your privacy settings are, it isn’t 100% guaranteed that your profile is in fact 100%. Play it safe and save an holiday update till you are home.

There you have 9 tips on how to protect your home while you are away this holiday season.