With the holiday season fast approaching, you are left with many decisions and preparations to make before packing your trailer and making your way to your holiday destination of choice.
Three Peaks has some tips for securing your premises while you’re away. After all, you don’t want to spend your hard earned holiday worrying about what’s happening at home.
• Make sure your alarm is working properly. Advise your security company if you are going away and ensure that you supply all the necessary information regarding nearby key holders, in case of an emergency.
• Park vehicles in a secure place, preferably where they are not visible and under lock and key.
• Check electrical equipment to ensure there are no potential fire hazards. Turn off your geyser, too. This will also save you money and is environmentally friendly.
• If your geyser is old, have a plumber check it out. If it floods while you’re away, the damage could incur heavy costs.
• Don’t leave your spare keys under a flower pot or in the post box. Leave them with someone you trust, along with copies of your flight tickets, passports, itinerary, travel insurance documents, travellers’ cheques, ID books and contact numbers.
• Give the impression you’re at home by installing a timer, if you don’t have a house-sitter or someone checking on the house in your absence. You can set lights to switch on and off mornings and evenings.
• Ask a friend or neighbour to collect your post while you’re away.
• Pack valuable items away so passersby can’t see them from the street.
• Do not leave ladders or spades outside, as they can be used to break into your house.
• Make sure your house-sitter or anyone with access to your home knows how to use the alarm and has a list of emergency numbers on hand.
• Go over your insurance policies or contact us to verify the terms of your policy to make sure everything’s up to date and you’re neither over- nor under-insured. Make sure you’re covered in case you have a burglary while you’re away.
For clients insured through Three Peaks you’ll also be happy to know that, when on holiday, your domestic insurance follows you, meaning that the insurance that applies whilst at home will also apply to your holiday home. So if your holiday home is broken into and items are stolen then the claim will be treated by the insurance company as if the break in happened at your normal residential premises. (If you are insured by anyone other than Three Peaks we recommend you confirm this with your insurer).
• Make sure there are at least two people back home you can contact in case of an emergency — and who can also contact you easily and quickly.
• Don’t tell the world — on Facebook and Twitter — that you’re going away. It’s not only your friends who want to know when you’re going and when you’ll be back.
• When you’re away, practice commonsense: don’t carry a lot of cash; put your cameras and laptops in a hotel safe when you’re not using them; don’t wear a lot of expensive jewelry; and be careful using ATMs in places you’re not familiar with. Also know where the nearest police station is, relative to where you’re staying.
Here’s wishing you and yours a delightful, stress-free holiday and a safe return to find all your valuables intact.