10 Christmas Home Security Tips
Christmas is the busiest time of year for burglars, as unsuspecting revellers can be careless about security measures in their home during the festive season. Extra cash at home and expensive gifts can make your home too good to resist.
To avoid being an easy target, follow our tips below.
10 Christmas Home Security Tips
Basics
Check all doors and windows and make sure they close and lock fully. Replace any loose catches that could be easily forced open. Secure all entry points into your home to make it difficult for burglars to break-in.
Alarm System
A house without an alarm system is a burglar’s first choice. If a burglar sees that a house has an alarm, they'll be less likely to break-in. And when the alarm goes off they know they have less time, if any, to ransack the house.
Lights
When leaving the house, you might be tempted to leave all your lights on to deter burglars. However, to avoid the risk of a fire, it's safer to switch off all Christmas lights and electrical items. Instead, use automatic timers to give the allusion of someone being at home and you’ll have the added benefit of reducing your electricity costs.
Gifts
If you like to the set the festive scene by placing the family gifts under the tree in the run-up to Christmas, don’t position your tree near a window. It will be all too easy for burglars to break the window and grab the presents from under the tree.
Curtains
Keep your curtains and window blinds closed at night to ensure valuable items are out of sight. Well-lit houses offer burglars the prefect opportunity to view the family’s prized possessions, so keep your curtains closed.
Outdoor Lights
Consider installing motion sensor outdoor lighting which detects anyone approaching your home and will act as a deterrent to burglars. If you're putting up outdoor Christmas lights, avoid running an electricity extension lead through the crack of a window to power your festive scene. This will give burglars easy access to your home. Instead, use solar or battery operated lights, or ask your electrician to install an outdoor electrical outlet.
Garden Shed/Garage
Burglars often target outhouses when looking for bicycles, tools or gardening equipment. Make sure all your possessions are safely locked in your shed. This includes ladders and tools such as crowbars that could be used to gain entry into your home.
Spare Key
The first place a burglar will look for your spare key is under the mat. After that, under a flowerpot, a rock, a garden gnome, etc. A safer option would be to give a spare key to a trusted neighbour.
Packaging
Be careful how you dispose of the packaging once the presents have been opened. Leaving empty boxes in plain view in your recycling bin will advertise to burglars the expensive items in your home. Fold up boxes carefully and try to hide the most obvious packaging at the bottom. Alternatively, wait until the morning of the refuse collection before putting out your recycling.
Going Away
If you're going away for the holiday season, don’t announce it on social media or you'll be offering an open invitation to burglars. Likewise, if you have a landline, don’t leave an answering machine message broadcasting that you're out of the country.
Don't leave a note for your postman or courier announcing that no one's home either. Instead, leave instructions with your local post office depot about keeping your parcels or leaving them with your neighbour. During the holiday season, it’s easy to forget your usual security measures because you're out of your routine and in party mode. However, having your home ransacked and valuables stolen would be devastating, so take preventative measures to secure your home and reduce the risk of being burgled.
Home Insurance With Liberty
Even if you know how to increase home security during the Christmas period, it's important that your home insurance is there to back you up. For home insurance that offers many additional benefits, get a quote with Liberty Insurance today.