Traveling for the Holidays? Prevent Break Ins With These Homeowner’s Tips

While homeowners insurance will pay to repair your home and replace your belongings if there is a break-in while you’re traveling, there’s never a good time to have to deal with a burglary. These tips from Dern & Company will help keep your Milwaukee, WI home safe while you’re out of town over the winter holidays.

1. Hire a house sitter.

The surest way to avoid a burglary while you’re traveling is to hire someone to come stay at your home during your absence.  Be sure to hire someone trustworthy and reputable by asking friends, relatives, and neighbors for recommendations.

2. Don’t post on social media.

While it’s fun to share photos on social media right away, these pictures are a tip-off that you are not at home. You never know who will come across your social media posts, so wait until you are back at home to share photos to your Facebook or Instagram profiles.

3. Stop the mail or have someone pick it up.

Mail piling up in the mailbox is a dead giveaway that you’re traveling. Stopping your mail is easy using the postal service’s online tools. Alternately, you can arrange with a neighbor to pick up your mail for you while you are traveling this winter.

4. Have your lights on a timer.

To create the illusion of occupancy in your home, you can set up your television, radio, and lights with timers. Timers are fairly inexpensive ways to fool would-be burglars into thinking that you are at home. Use several timers, set to turn on your lights at various times of the day. For instance, have the living room lights come on from dusk to 8 p.m. and have the bedroom lights set to come on from 8 to 10 p.m.

5. Let a trusted neighbor know you’re going out of town, so they can look out for your home.

If you have a neighbor that is trustworthy, ask them to keep an eye on your place. They can call the police if they notice anything suspicious happening while you are out of town. 

If you need information about homeowner’s insurance in the Milwaukee, WI area, contact Dern & Company.