Insurance

Protect your home these holidays

3 MIN READ December 4, 2018
Many of us Kiwis travel at some point during the summer holidays, whether we’re staying with friends and family for Christmas or taking a much-deserved vacation overseas. While it’s great to get out and enjoy the sun and take some time out away from home,…

Light up your home

If you don’t have them already, it pays to install security lighting around the perimeter of your home. Motion sensor lights are ideal for this as they will turn on with any movement, meaning that any unwanted visitors will have the spotlight on them as soon as they enter the property. For inside your home, you can also look at using timers that set your lights and lamps to go on and off at certain times, making it look as though someone is at home.

Lock it up tight

Most of us will have a spare key handily hidden somewhere outside, under a specific rock or the doormat. This is great should you find yourself unable to get in, but consider removing all of these entirely while you’re away. If friends or neighbours are looking after your home, give them a key directly instead of leaving it somewhere for unwanted people to find it too.

Keep your social posts to yourself

We all want to post pictures of our families on Christmas day or that great beach we found on our travels, but be mindful of who is able to see these posts that give away your out-of-town location. If it’s not already, make sure that your social media profiles are set to private so that only your friends can see your posts and not the general public. If you want to be extra safe, don’t post anything about how long you plan to be away for, even just to your friends.

Out of sight, out of mind

To really deter would-be thieves, it’s a good idea to keep your valuables out of sight. Burglars will usually target things like laptops and jewellery so be sure to have these hidden safely away, or even better, in a safe or with friends who will be home for the Christmas period. If you store anything valuable such as sports or outdoor equipment in your garage, make sure that it’s covered as even garages aren’t impervious to break-ins!

Meet the neighbours

If you haven’t already, it’s a good idea to meet your neighbours and get to know one another so that you can help each other out during the holidays. Neighbours can keep an eye on your home and collect your mail, and you can also allow them to park extra cars in your driveway to give the appearance that someone is home. You don’t have to grant them access to your home, but it’s a good idea to let trusted neighbours know you’ll be away so they can watch out for anything suspicious.

Follow these handy steps to ensure that you come back to a safe and welcoming home after your time away. It’s always a good idea to have a home and contents insurance policy in place too – if you think you’ll need to update your cover or want to look at putting some insurance in place for high value items these holidays, get in touch with our friendly team today.

 


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