How to protect your home now that we’ve started to leave the house again

With the federal election behind us and confidence returning to businesses across the country, many of us are venturing back into the office or our workplace after many months of working from home.

We’ve had to reacquaint ourselves with early alarms, office attire and the daily commute.

We’re also leaving our homes unattended for the first time in a long while, and it’s easy to overlook the security habits that kept us safe pre-COVID.

Peter Price, director of Crime Stoppers Australia, says leaving windows open and doors unlocked presents a huge temptation to opportunistic thieves.

“Criminals are well abreast of what the current trends are, that means they know that people are heading back to the office,” he says.

“It’s a really important thing to remember to lock the front door and windows, but the back door often gets overlooked. People will put a security screen door on the front but they won’t do anything about putting double locks or a security screen door on the back.”

Storing valuables in plain sight is another practice we need to change.

“Don’t leave handbags and keys near the front door,” says Alex Dunn, executive manager of property claims at NRMA Insurance. “There are a lot of break-ins where it’s a quick grab and run.”

It’s a similar story with package deliveries. Price says online shopping boomed during the pandemic lockdowns and has remained popular even as we returned to physical shops.

“But of course, there are fewer and fewer people at home and parcels are still being left at the front door,” he says. “Our recommendation is to either schedule parcel deliveries when someone’s home or use an Australia Post parcel box.”

The ‘grab and run’ opportunities also apply to garden tools left outside, an unlocked car with valuables inside and an open garage or shed housing bikes and other portable items.

Price is a fan of CCTV and an alarm system for added protection.

“While it has a functional benefit it has other benefits in that it’s a communication device to the perpetrators to alert them that this house is alarmed,” he says. “By having the blue light conspicuously flashing, it’s sending a message [that this house is protected].”

If you won’t be home until after dark, Dunn says it’s a good idea to create the appearance of someone being at home by putting lights on a timer.

You can also leave a radio on or leave blinds and curtains partially open to create doubt about whether someone is home or not. And while many insurers won’t pay out claims if you’ve accidentally left a window open or a door unlocked, NRMA Insurance customers are still covered even if you forget to lock up.

“We advocate for you to lock your windows and doors but NRMA Insurance will still cover you if you don’t,” says Dunn. “And you’re covered new for old with the equivalent specifications to the items you lost.”

She also advises home owners and renters to keep their insurance policies up to date, ensuring they have coverage for portable items they’ll be taking to work, including laptops, mobile phones, watches and jewellery.

And for those using the iron again after a long break, be sure to check it’s switched off – alongside any hair appliances and heaters – before you leave home.

If an electrical fire or an intruder damages your home and you have a Home Plus NRMA Insurance policy, you have access to an extra 25 per cent on top of your insured amount to repair your home if you need it, up to $2000 for damage to plants, trees and shrubs and automatic cover for accidental damage.

“Our premium policy will give you more peace of mind because there’s a safety net,” says Dunn.