Millions of Brits are preparing for their summer breaks away from home – but with home burglaries peaking in the summer months, homeowners are advised to check their homes are as secure as possible.
Experts from MyBuilder.com, the reliable way to hire tradespeople, are advising homeowners on the dos and don’t of staying secure this summer. From installing alarm systems to not posting pictures of your holiday online, there’s plenty of important information to learn from.
Burglaries in the UK increase during the summer months – and often this is to do with windows left open to let in cooler air. It’s also the most common time of year for people to go on holiday, often leaving their homes empty for one or two weeks. Not only does this pose security concerns, certain common actions can invalidate your insurance should the worst happen.
However, there are many steps you can take to make sure that your home – and your insurance cover – is protected.
Andy Simms, from MyBuilder.com, said: “We all look forward to our summer holidays, but it’s vital we get our property secure before we leave. Not only that, but even when we are home, we need to make sure that we aren’t making our homes vulnerable.
“Installing an alarm and/or CCTV system is obviously an ideal way to protect your home, but there’s also many other ways to help.”
Here’s MyBuilder.com’s guide to keeping your home safe and secure this summer.
Let your neighbours know
If you are going away for a lengthy period of time it’s always advisable to let your closest neighbours know. They can keep an eye out for you and may even be able to help out with watering the plants or putting the bins out.
Power off
Turning everything off at the plug not only saves your energy whilst you are away but it also helps to protect your house from any potential electrical fires. The risk of floods can also be reduced by turning off the water supply too. However, make sure you leave essential appliances turned on, like the fridge freezer and alarm system, and if you are going away in winter ensure you leave the boiler turned on with the thermostat set to around 15 degrees to avoid frozen pipes.
Install a security system
There are various options depending on what you need or how much you want to spend. This can range from a security doorbell, to a wireless floodlight camera, to a full-blown smart burglar alarm. Many of these can be controlled by apps on your phone, and will send you notifications if there is activity at your property. There is also the added benefit that having a security system installed could reduce your home insurance premium. Installation of a security system can cost from £500, a guide can be found here.
Security lights
Installing security lights and cameras is a great deterrent for potential thieves – it will also help your neighbours take note if someone is there. There is a wide range of smart camera options available with modern systems linked to your phone with peace of mind.
Install locks on garden gates
Entrance through the garden or back door is a common way for burglaries to start. Secure your garden with a lock on the gate, to make any entrance or exit more difficult for them. Locks start at just £20 for a substantial deadbolt, and can be quickly installed by a tradesperson.
Check fencing
Garden fencing is another area that can give easy access to thieves. Whether you are on holiday or not, make sure that your fencing is secure, with no big gaps or fallen panels. Replace any broken or loose panels, and consider raising any low fences if it’s practical.
Entrance Door
Are your doors up to standard? Old doors often don’t have 3-5 way lock systems, which are the best type to secure your home. Consider replacing your door with a modern one that is most effective at deterring burglars. If you don’t want to replace your door, you can look at upgrading your locks. Changing standard uPVC locks will take roughly 20 minutes and cost between £60-£150.
Power off
Turning everything off at the plug not only saves your energy whilst you are away but it also helps to protect your house from any potential electrical fires. The risk of floods can also be reduced by turning off the water supply too. However, make sure you leave essential appliances turned on, like the fridge freezer and alarm system.
Don’t invalidate your house insurance
It is important to check the terms and conditions of your home insurance as there may be certain stipulations that you have to adhere to, or risk invalidating your policy. Here are the most common ways that people are invalidating their insurance:
- Make sure any doors, windows and locks are secure when you go on holiday. Leaving them unlocked or worse – open – will invalidate most policies.
- If you have an alarm and your insurance company is aware of it, leaving it off can mean you aren’t insured.
- If anyone can gain unforced entry to your property, your home insurance policy could be invalidated. Most insurance policies also ask you to stipulate if you have lockable windows, and if you have said yes, you must ensure your windows are locked whilst away.
- A growing trend is for people to install key boxes with a spare key. These are quite often seen at rental/holiday properties too. However, please check with your insurer as some insurers will not insure you if you have a key safe box installed.
- Taking photos of yourself whilst away from home and posting them on social media could be advertising to potential burglars that your home is unoccupied, making it an easy target. Recently an increased number of criminals are using online means to target victims, and you should be aware of the risks to your home as well as your policy, with some insurers more strict than others on accepting claims.
- The length of time away from your home must, in some cases, be declared to your insurers. If you are going to be away for a lengthy period, usually 30, 60 or 90 days, this is but each policy will have a limit for days unoccupied.