How to keep your home safe this Christmas
1. Don’t give too much away on Social Media.
It is never recommended to put your Christmas travel plans on any form of social media. Especially the date you’re leaving, the length of time you are away for and when you will be back. This is all prime information that a thief will use to know when your home is empty. By putting travel plans on Facebook, Twitter or any other social media platform, you are also running the risk of invalidating your home insurance. Meaning that if the worst were to happen then you would not be able to make a claim.
It’s also not wise to post on social media about the amount of presents under your tree. If you are lucky enough to have a big pile under there before Christmas day, it’s not best to advertise it. Any burglar that sees that picture will know your house is full of expensive items that are easily accessible.
2. Don’t let your lights leave you vulnerable.
If you like to spread the festive cheer and put up lights on the outside of your house, make sure you’re not inviting a burglar in. A common mistake to make is to feed an electrical wire through a slightly open window. Burglars know to look out for this weakness and could exploit it to gain entry to your house. Try and get solar or battery powered lights to keep you secure.
3. Hide your gift packaging
At this time of year you are bound to be receiving lots of deliveries. You need to be careful when pilling the boxes in and around the bin. A burglar walking past you house will see the empty boxes and know that there may be valuable items inside. Try to break the boxes down and fold them so they fit in your recycling bin. If you’re struggling with the space in your bin, then take a trip down to your local recycling centre.
4. Keep presents out of view
If you are super organised and have wrapped all your gifts before the big day, it might be tempting to put them under the tree ready for Christmas morning. However, if your tree is visible through a window then you are tempting thieves to break in. Keep the gifts out of site until Christmas Eve or even Christmas morning. Burglars like to get in and out of a property as quick as possible, so if you make your items hard to find then the less likely a thief is to take them.
5. Plan ahead if you are going away for Christmas
If you know that you are going to be away over the Christmas period then there are a few thing you can do help prevent the burglars coming in.
Make sure to cancel any newspaper or milk subscriptions, nothing tells a burglar a house is empty more than built up newspapers and several bottles of untouched milk. If you have a good relationship with your neighbour you could ask them to leave a car in your drive to give the allusion someone is at the property.