Homeowners Advice: Dont Invite a Christmas Burglary

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Sunday, December 21, 2014

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According to HomeAdvisor, home burglaries account for 4.7 billion in property losses every year in the U.S. A home burglary occurs every 13 seconds, and almost one-third occur through unlocked doors or windows. Three out of four burglaries are residential.

Before you leave your home for the holidays, be sure to protect it against burglary. Tell trusted neighbors how long youll be away and ask them to watch your home for you. Offer to do the same when they take a vacation.

In this age of oversharing, dont advertise on social media that youre leaving for Christmas vacation. That means facebook, twitter, instagram, and others. Instead post your photos and comments after you return home.

Burglars look for easy access and quick getaways. They typically spend no longer than eight to ten minutes inside and look for easy to carry items. So make your home less inviting by putting secure locks on all windows and doors. Keep bushes and trees trimmed. Look for places intruders can gain access out of sight of neighbors. And the key you keep under the mat? Take it with you or leave it with your trusted neighbor.

Homes without security systems are 300 times more likely to be burglarized than homes without, so a security alarm system is a great idea and well worth the cost as having one will help lower your homeowners insurance. While most burglaries happen during the day, motion-sensored lighting is also a great deterrant. Get an automated system to turn lights and tvs on and off periodically so your home looks occupied while youre gone. Home security systems such as Protect America start at 20 a month.

Burglars look for signs youre gone, such as lights that stay on during the day and a buildup of mail and advertising flyers on doorknobs. Ask your neighbor to pick up your mail and keep the doorway clear of flyers. You can also go to your local post office and request that your mail be held while youre gone. And if youre still taking a newspaper, make sure you call the paper and drop service while youre gone.

Once you return from your Christmas vacation, your home could still be inviting to burglars. If you had a great holiday with lots of presents, dont advertise the fact to thieves by stacking your outdoor trashcans with empty electronics boxes and shopping bags from expensive stores.

Take precautions and you can take a better holiday.

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