3 ways to ensure your house is secure while you’re on holidays

There’s no denying we have a seemingly insatiable appetite for travel now border restrictions have been lifted. But while all the excitement is focused on where the next holiday destination will be, travellers also need to turn their attention to security.

A trip away is going to be much more enjoyable knowing your home is well protected from intruders, whether you’re away for a few days or a couple of months.

Here, we’ve outlined some simple measures to keep your home safe and your holiday uninterrupted.

Redirect your mail

An overflowing letterbox is the most obvious clue to people that no one is home.

Australia Post can redirect or hold your mail until you return, for a reasonable fee, with applications easily completed online or at your nearest post office.

It’s worth noting though, that they can’t control the flow of junk mail. An easy solve? Ask a neighbour to collect anything that lands in your letterbox and either save it for you or bin it.

While you’re asking the neighbour for a favour, you might also request they put your bin out and away before and after collection. A bin left on the kerb for the day is yet another giveaway that a house is unattended.

To sweeten the deal, offer up the use of your driveway while you’re away, they’ll get an extra parking space and it’ll help ward off would-be intruders.

Give the garden a once-over

A neat garden provides fewer places to hide. Trim down any bushes that obstruct the view of your house from the street. That way neighbours and passers-by can spot anyone acting suspiciously in your garden or worse, trying to force entry via your doors and windows.

If you’re only going away for a short time, give your garden a quick tidy. Sweep up the leaves and prune the hedges to create the impression you’re at home. Those going away for a longer period may want to organise garden maintenance.

Upgrade your locks

In today’s smart age, there are many ways to maintain your home security from afar. Yale has a range of products that connect to your mobile device so you can control who goes in and out of your home while you’re away.

“If you have a dog watcher or someone who was looking after the house, you can issue them with a temporary credential either through the app, or you could program a key tag or a pin code solution for them,” said Eric Sindel, senior product manager at Yale.

“Basically you can designate this person to come to the house and for them to be able to enter during certain days and certain times, and you can control their access and you’ll get the notifications to see they’ve come.”

The app also allows home owners to lock and unlock their entry doors while they are away from home.

“With a remote connection through a bridge to your Wi-Fi home internet, you can have this constant contact with your lock,” Sindel said.

“If you’ve driven off and didn’t lock the door, you can use the app to do that and if you get an alarm or alert, the app will notify you.”

Yale’s smart locks pair with other devices including popular products such as Google Home and Nest Home. Connecting your smart home devices allows you to check in on your house – inside and out – while you’re away.

Having peace of mind is just as important as having the flights booked. So before your next trip, ensure you have your home security organised well in advance.