Thousands of families are planning vacations this summer. They will not be the only ones making plans. You go on vacation, and burglars go to work stealing valuables from temporarily unoccupied homes. Don’t come home to find that a burglar has made off with your most prized possessions.

Today’s home builders install sturdy locks, bolts and, in some cases, alarm systems to protect your home from thieves. But you should also take a few precautions to keep burglars out of your house, especially if you live in an older home that does not have a security system or updated bolts and locks.

GVHBA offers these tips to help you enjoy a burglar-free vacation:

• Lock and bolt all your windows and doors
  In more than 40% of residential burglaries, the thieves entered the house through an unlocked window or door.
• Install deadbolt locks in every exterior door
  Most thieves are skilled at picking doorknob locks. You need a deadbolt for extra security.
• Change the locks
  If you just moved in to a previously owned house or apartment, re-key the locks. You don’t know who might still have a set of keys to your place.
• Install metal doors
  If you live in a high-crime area, you might want to install metal doors for added security.
• Do not hide keys in secret locations outside of your house
  Thieves know where to look for hidden keys. Instead, give a duplicate key to a trusted neighbour.
• Trim shrubs and trees
  Remove those that cover windows so a burglar cannot use them as a cover to get into the house and cut back tree limbs that could help thieves climb into second-storey windows.
• Secure sliding glass doors
  Lock your sliding doors. Then cut a broom handle or another long narrow piece of wood so that it fits in the door’s bottom track. With this wooden barricade, the door will not easily slide open when forced. For triple protection, drill one hole through both casings and sliding window and insert a nail or pin. Or you can purchase a double security commercial lock for sliding doors.
• Install double key deadbolt locks in doors with glass windows
  This prevents a burglar from breaking the glass and reaching inside to unlock the door. But leave the key to a double-key deadbolt lock inside the lock when you’re at home so you can exit easily in the event of a fire or other emergency.
• Secure double-sash windows with pins
  Drill an angled hole through the top frame of the lower window partially into the lower frame of the upper window and then insert a nail or an eyebolt. But don’t forget to try to open the window before you remove the nail.
• Place home security warning stickers on your doors and windows
  These actually do scare some thieves away.
• Lock and bolt the door inside your garage that leads into your house
  You might have trouble securing your garage door so treat the inside door from the garage into the house as an exterior door.
• Install an alarm system
  If you don’t already have a home security system, consider buying one. They can effectively deter burglars from breaking into your home. Test the system monthly.
• Place an exterior light over every door and window
  Most burglars don’t want to try to break into a home while in the spotlight. Mount these lights in out-of-reach locations so burglars can’t easily unscrew the bulbs.
• Lock ladders inside the garage when they are not being used
  Don’t make it easy for burglars to climb up to a less-secure second-storey window.
• Plant security shrubs or plants with prickly leaves or thorns under windows
  Would you want to crawl in a window located above a thorn bush? Neither would a burglar.
• Join a neighbourhood safety watch group
  Cooperate with your neighbours top keep an eye on each other’s house.
• Don’t put your name on your mailbox
  You don’t want a burglar to know your last name because then he or she might call your home to see if you are there.
• Keep your garage door closed
  A burglar might be able to tell who is home by the number of cars in the garage.
• Don’t put valuables near windows where they can be seen
• Don’t list your street address in newspaper ads that advertise valuable items for sale
• Make friends with your neighbours
  Statistically, neighbourhoods where residents are concerned with their mutual safety have lower crime rates.

Before you leave for vacation, take a critical look at your home and make sure that it looks like you are still there. Burglars are far less likely to break into a home that looks occupied. Tips include:

• Leave something outside, such as a shovel, child’s toy or water hose
• Leave your draperies and blinds open
• Put inside and outside lights, radios and televisions on timers, set according to your normal schedule
• Call forward your telephone to another number
• Don’t change the message on your answering machine to indicate that you are away
• Ask a trusted neighbour to watch your property and fake activity at your home
  Your neighbour can make it look like somebody is home at your house by taking out your trash
• Leave your dog at home
  Hire someone to care for your dog while you’re away. Any dog that barks can frighten a burglar.

Unfortunately, determined burglars will get into your house regardless of the precautions you take.  So, to prepare for a worst-case scenario:

• Mark your property
  Burglars may decide not to steal marked, engraved property. And, in the case of a recovery, police can better identify marked stolen property and return it to its rightful owner. Whenever possible, engrave your valuables with your driver’s licence number.
• Make a list of your valuables
  Record the brand names, serial numbers and other important details of your property. Keep the list in a safe place a way from your home.
• Get insurance coverage for your most prized belongings
• Do not keep large sums of cash around the house
• Display your house number in clear view
  You want the police to be able to find your house if there is an emergency.
• If you see signs that someone has broken into your house
  Don’t go inside. Go to a neighbour’s house and call the police. You want to avoid any confrontations with a burglar who might still be inside your home.

So relax and enjoy your vacation. If you take these precautions, you will have done your best to keep intruders away from your home. And you will most likely return home to find things just the way you left them. 

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