8 key tips for keeping your home safe and secure while you're traveling for the holidays
Traveling for the holidays? It's wise to follow the advice of security experts when it comes to keeping your home safe and secure before you travel for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Preparing your home for a vacation involves a lot of common sense, such as putting your lights on timers, stopping newspaper and mail deliveries, alerting a trusted neighbor that you’ll be out of town — and not posting about your upcoming trip on social media.
There are a few more tips that can keep your home safe and secure while you’re traveling this holiday season.
Read on for a few more smart ideas to think about ahead of your time away.
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The tips come courtesy of security experts.
"If they have an extra car, or a teen driver, see if they’ll use your driveway to park in during your vacation," Rebecca Edwards, a security expert with Safewise, who is based in Spokane, Washington, suggested.
"That helps prevent your home from looking unoccupied."
She also said it's a "pretty low-lift favor to ask for" at this time of year.
Don't leave an emergency key under the mat or in a hide-a-key, Edwards warned.
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"Burglars know where to look," she said. "If you’re worried about losing keys while you’re away, ask a neighbor to hold onto a spare key for you."
It's best not to leave places for burglars to sneak around and hide out.
"The clearer the view to your home, the better," Edwards told Fox News Digital.
Things like ladders, step stools, benches or even storage sheds or boxes could be used to get a leg up to a sliding glass door on a deck, or other popular access point, Edwards said.
Electrical fires are a potential hazard.
Unplugging unneeded devices while you’re away for the holidays lowers your risk of a fire, Edwards said.
"You can get stand-alone sensors that detect humidity, leaks and temperature, or you can add them to your home security system, if you have one," Edwards noted.
"Make sure you can receive push notifications and text or email alerts while you’re away," she also said.
"That way, if you get an alert about a water leak or dangerously cold temps, you can call a friend or neighbor to go check on your home to make sure things are OK or prevent a small problem from turning into a disaster."
This seems obvious — but it’s worth a reminder.
"Check every window, door and any other entry points to your home," Edwards said.
Then, lock up everything that’s outside your home, including the garage, sheds, storage boxes/lockers, gates and cars.
"If possible, add entry sensors to key areas so you’ll get notified if they’re opened," she said.
Tell only those you know and trust that you're going away, emphasized Loretta L. Worters, a spokesperson with the Insurance Information Institute in New York City.
She suggested asking a neighbor you trust to keep an eye on your home and to be on the look-out for unexpected deliveries or "throw-away" circulars that can arrive on your porch or driveway.
Burglaries are common — so precautions are necessary.
FBI crime data for 2022 released on Oct. 16, 2023, noted that property crime incidents rose year over year, said Worters.
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"Over 7 in 10 property crimes were theft-related — and burglary made up almost 14% of all property crimes," she reported.
In addition to pricey items that were stolen like jewelry, electronics and other valuables, the stakes are now higher.
"Once in your home, a burglar can easily obtain credit card information, Social Security numbers or other identification information by going over personal documents in a home or stealing the family computer," Worters said.
This can lead to identity theft.
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