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Easy Tips to Keep Your Home Safe This Christmas

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Published on December 15, 2022. EST READ TIME: 4 minutes

Christmas holidays are one of the most awaited holidays of the year. It is the time for celebrations with festivities all over. At the same time, this season is to enjoy with your loved ones but always remember that safety comes first. It is important to keep our family and house safe during the holidays. There are several ways to ensure safety, but God forbid, if there is any unfortunate situation, it is always best to have your medical and homeowners insurance to avoid the financial strain.

Medical insurance for your family and an insurance policy for your home is a must at all times of the year. Health comes first, but we also need to keep our house safe. Safety measures and an insurance policy for home are a must for all homeowners. Property insurance takes care of any loss or damage to the structure and the contents of the house. If there is a loss due to any of the covered perils, the insurance company bears the loss, and this avoids a financial strain.

During the Christmas holidays, the houses are all decorated, and mostly everyone travels during these holidays, making it easier access for robbers to break in. They target picking up electronic items or cash and jewellery. To ensure theft of electronics is covered, ensure you have electronic equipment coverage in your homeowners insurance policy. Let us talk about simple ways and tips to keep your home safe this Christmas.

Checklist to keep your home safe this Christmas:

1. Avoid social media updates:

It is very common to put pictures of your holidays and the places you are staying on your social media handles. You should also wait to announce before you go, as this is like sending a personal invite to people with the wrong intentions. This is one of the easiest ways for thieves to get a clue and plan a robbery.

Remember the movie Home Alone, where the child got accidentally left behind when the robbers broke in? Just as the robbers got to know that the house would be empty during the holidays, they planned their robbery. They are not interested in where you are going, but they want to know you are not at home, and it is easy for them to break in and steal things.

Though your homeowners insurance will cover you for this, it is mentally devastating to come back home from a fun holiday to find out that all your stuff has been stolen and your house damaged.

2. Avoid giving signals that the house is empty:

There are many ways in which thieves can figure out that there is no one in the house. These are the clues they are looking for, and thus, it becomes necessary to ensure that they do not get them. Some of the simple ways to do this are:

● Do not let packages and mails collect outside the house, and have someone pick them up daily.

● Have someone switch on the outdoor and some indoor lights daily or have timers set.

● Park a car in the driveway if possible so that the robbers feel that the house is not empty.

3. Install alarms:

Having a proper security system and a CCTV is a great idea if you are going to be away for a few days. The burglar alarms are extremely effective, and these not only raise the alarm if someone tries to break in but also keep the thieves away.

You can also keep a tab on who is coming near the house on your phone as well. These do not cost much and also help in reducing the premium for your property insurance.

4. Unplug electrical appliances:

When we talk of home safety, it does not only mean theft. It can also mean a fire in the house. A power surge can cause a fire if the appliances are still plugged in. The surge will not only damage the appliance but can cause sparks and lead to fire which will destroy other things. The only appliance that could be left on is the freezers and refrigerators in the house.

Remember to switch off all plug points and appliances before leaving. Also, remember to turn off the main switch of the AC, gas, geyser, etc., for sure to avoid short circuits.

5. Stop delivery of the newspaper:

When you are away, and you do not stop the newspaper delivery, they will keep on piling up outside the door. This is one of the easiest clues for thieves to know that there is no one in the house, and they will find ways and means to get in.

6. Avoid leaving valuables in the house:

It is common for us to keep cash and jewellery at home. This is easy stuff for the thieves to carry, and also, if they know about it, they have a big incentive to break in.

Before you leave, you should always keep these things in your bank locker else leave them with someone in the family or with friends. If neither of these options is available, then you can put a safe in the house and put everything inside it.

7. Ask for help:

It is always good if you can leave the keys to the house with someone so that they can keep coming and check if all is ok. Also, they can get the house cleaned so that you do not come back to a house full of dust. Your insurance policy for homewill help you if something happens, but your friend can avoid the situation and ensure nothing happens.

8. Trim the trees:

If you have tall trees around the house, trim them before you leave. These trees can give thieves access to climb and break into the house. These also act like a hiding spot making it easy for someone to hide and get access when they think it easier.

9. Lock everything:

Before you leave, check all doors and windows of the house and ensure they are correctly locked in. Sometimes some windows in the house are always open, and we forget to close them while leaving. These are easy access points for anyone with the wrong intention.

Thus, before you leave for a vacation, move around the house carefully, checking if everything is properly locked and fastened.

10. Do not hide keys:

Many people have some spots outside the house where they hide their home keys. When going on a vacation, never do this because if someone has a bad intention, they will follow you and notice what you are doing. If they know where the key is, they have an invitation from you. Instead, leave your keys with someone you trust.

Conclusion

Vacations are the best time to spend with family and friends. However, you should ensure that you take all possible precautions so that the house stays safe and you come back to it in the same way as you leave it. Before you leave for your holiday, ensure you check your homeowners insuranceto see that it is valid and the coverage is fine. By taking some simple yet effective measures, you can ensure that the house is safe and you can enjoy your vacation stress-free.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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