The festive season is upon us, and for some of us, this means taking some much-needed time off to relax before we kick off the New Year.
If you are planning a getaway, remember the festive season usually also coincides with an increase in crime and accidents, especially home burglaries. This makes it vital to protect your house before you venture off to your needed time away.
“A home is one of the biggest investments you will make, so it is important to ensure you put the necessary measures in place to limit exposure to any unfortunate eventualities such as burglary, flooding, fire and other catastrophes,” says Nondumiso Ncapai from Absa Home Loans.
Nondumiso shares her tips to help safeguard your house this festive season:
- Arrange with a friend or family member you trust to switch the lights on and off daily to ensure that your house is not left unattended for more than two nights.
- Also ask them to bring in your mail and water your grass and plants if you do not have a sprinkler system that can be set to switch on at a specific time each day (take water restrictions in your area into account).
- Check that all your locks work properly, and that all your windows can close.
- Close all your taps and ensure there aren’t any water leaks that could either lead to a flooding incident, or wastage of water in your absence.
- Check your alarm system, test if it is working and ensure that you notify your security company that you are away, state the duration of your holiday and ask them to monitor your house constantly.
- Switch off any appliances that won’t be in use while you are away.
- Be careful of social media use, do not share sensitive information that could alert potential robbers of your absence at home, or the lack of security
“Once you have ticked all these boxes, you are ready to go and enjoy your much earned holiday break,” concludes Nondumiso.