A Message from the Federation of Calgary Communities
Going on a holiday? Here are some tips to help protect your home while you’re on vacation.
- Double-check your insurance policy to find out if you require someone to check in on your home. Most insurance policies stipulate that a home must be inspected once every 48 hours; otherwise, your insurance may not cover you if your home or belongings are damaged through crime or flood, fire, etc.
- Give a trusted neighbour a key and trip details. They are an ideal person to check in on your home.
- Leave a phone number where you can be reached with whoever is looking after your home.
- Don’t advertise that you are going away.
- Ask your trusted neighbours to call the police if they see any suspicious activity around your home while you are away.
- Ask your neighbours not to inform inquiring strangers that you are not at home.
- Create a lived-in appearance. Be sure the lawn is cared for while you are away, and snow is shoveled in the winter. Have any newspapers or flyers collected from your door or yard. Set lights on timers so that your home is not dark during evening hours.
- Arrange to have someone open and close your drapes or blinds so they are left in different positions.
- Encourage a trusted neighbour to park their car in your driveway while you are gone.
- Turn down the ringer on your telephone, as an unanswered phone usually means there is no one home.
- Set light timers for interior and exterior lights and for radios. Test the timers first to make sure they are working properly.
- Turn the volume of the radio up and leave it on a station that has a lot of talking as opposed to just music. The voices create the impression that someone is home.
- Ensure that your door and window locking devices are working and are locked when you leave.
- Disable your garage door while you are gone. Most have a switch that can be turned off. You can also put a padlock or similar device through the door tracks to ensure it cannot be opened.
- Put away or secure all lawn furniture or tools so they can’t be used to assist a burglar in gaining access to the upper story windows of your home.
