Are you planning to go on holiday this summer? Whether you’re heading abroad for a week or two, or taking a weekend break somewhere closer to home, it’s important to ensure your home and possessions are safe, protected, and secure, so you can spend less time worrying about your possessions and more time relaxing.
Leaving your home unoccupied while on holiday means it can be an irresistible target for thieves & burglars, it is well known that most burglaries take place when homeowners are on holiday for extended periods of time.
With a few simple adjustments to your home security you can greatly reduce the odds of your house becoming an easy target for burglars and thieves. To help make sure your home is more secure and your belongings are kept safe whilst you’re on holiday, we’ve put together a list of tips for you so you can have an enjoyable and stress-free holiday.
Start with the basics

Lock every door & window; including garage doors, upstairs windows, out houses and garden sheds. Make sure and check all locks are working properly a few days before you leave. A good idea on the night before you go away, is do a full walk round of your home to check that all your windows, doors, and other points of entry are locked and closed properly.
Don’t leave any spare keys in hiding places such as under mats, plant pots, or bins, most burglars know all the usual hiding places, so make sure you remove any spare keys hidden around your property. If you need to leave a spare key somewhere safe – leave it with a neighbour or friend.
Remove any valuables from plain sight – look through your windows from the outside and assess what is on view. Don’t leave valuables on show, make sure to lock them away in a safe or at least hide them from view when you’re not there.
Lock away ladders and any DIY or garden tools to ensure that they can’t be used to enter your home.
Don’t post on social media


Be cautious when sharing your holiday plans and photos across social media, burglars can use this information to potentially break into your home without being disturbed, knowing that no-one is home for however long you may be away for.
If you do post about your holidays, please me mindful about what you’re posting and who the audience is. Review your privacy settings, you may be sharing with family and friends but, unfortunately, they can reach a wider audience than intended and make your home vulnerable.
Try to stay on the side of caution, it is probably best to wait until you are back home before posting any photos or updates about your holiday.
Make your home look occupied whilst you’re away


An occupied home is less likely to be targeted by opportunist thieves, if you go away for the weekend or on holiday, try and not leave any obvious clues that nobody is home.
We’d recommend you ask a member of your family, a local friend or a neighbour to keep an eye on your property and pop into your home every few days to put away any unopened letters; mail piling up on your doormat is a giveaway sign to thieves & burglars that a house is empty . The Royal Mail also offers a Keepsafe service which will reserve your post at the sorting office for up to 2 months while you are away.
You could also ask a friend or neighbour to take out your bins & recycling on collection days for you, open and close your curtains, or ask them to leave their car on your driveway to give the appearance of someone being at home.
Another idea is to fit a timer switch to your lights to give the impression that someone is home in the evenings. A timer switch controls the on and off timing of electrical equipment and can often be set like a heating control to turn on and off at set times daily, on a 5-day 2-day basis or for seven days, allowing lighting to be turned on and off on a timed basis.
Protect your home with a burglar alarm system


A home alarm system is designed to provide you with extra protection and peace of mind by discouraging unwanted intruders from entering the property. While there’s plenty you can do to reduce the risk of your home being targeted, an intruder alarm system will increase your level of protection.
Highlander Security Systems install state of the art security systems with smart technology, which will ensure you have full control of your entire security system whilst away. This means you can remotely set or unset your alarm using your smart device from anywhere in the world, which is handy if you can’t remember if you set your alarm when leaving for the airport. With smart technology you can also receive alerts if your alarm is breached or triggered.
If you already have a burglar alarm system you should ensure that it is maintained at least once a year; this is important to ensure that your intruder alarm is in full working order. At Highlander Security Systems, we are happy to take over or repair systems installed by other companies. If this is the case, we arrange a free no obligation site visit where we will check the existing system prior to sending a quotation for the necessary work. In most cases we can improve your current service and save you money against your existing maintenance arrangements.
Having a professional alarm company install your system also means your system can be monitored by an alarm receiving centre (ARC), staffed by security personnel who will contact you, a nominated key holder or the police in the event of a break-in. This will give you complete peace of mind that your property is protected 24/7, 365 days a year.
Secure your home with a CCTV camera system


One of the most common and effective forms of protecting your property is using security cameras – having a CCTV system in place allows you to monitor and record your property 24-hours a day, 365 days a year.
Aside from giving you the means of monitoring and recording what’s happening, CCTV also plays a big part in offering a deterrent to those who may be intent on causing harm.
A modern CCTV surveillance system installed by Highlander Security includes HD-quality recordings in both day and night vision and built in microphones. Our CCTV camera systems also feature the ability to view live video streams remotely via the internet, meaning you can view live footage on your phone, tablet or PC at any time and any place, if you have an internet connection. So, if you are away on holiday, you can still have the peace of mind that your property is fully protected.
CCTV systems can also provide push notifications to your phone using motion detection or line crossing detection. The footage captured can be stored on an SD card or be sent straight to your smartphone, device or laptop.
If you’re planning to go away this summer and need advice on any of our security products, , whether it is intruder alarm systems, CCTV camera systems or fire alarm systems, we can help you find the perfect solution for your home and your budget.
Or if you would like a free security survey, then please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us, we are available 24/7.