When you prepare to leave home for a vacation or business trip, you must make preparations to ensure that your home will be safe. Of course you should lock the windows and the doors, but that doesn’t fully protect you. Packages that are left unattended on your stoop while you’re away can easily disappear, and burglars may view them as a sign that you aren’t home, interpreting it as an opportunity to break in.
When you return from your trip and the package you ordered isn’t waiting for you, your first inclination may be to blame the mail carrier or the delivery service, but ultimately you are the one responsible for the safety of your home when you’re away.
Watch Your Online Shopping
Most shopping websites tell you how long it will take for packages to arriv
e. If the scheduled delivery falls during the time when you will be away, do not order the item until later. Play it safe and allow a few days for quicker or slower delivery than the vendor or delivery service indicates – it happens all the time. If you desperately need the item, buy it locally – which is a great thing to do in any case, as it supports your local economy.
Stop Delivery
Another option is to stop all deliveries while you are away so that mail, packages and newspapers do not come to your house at all. Everyone knows you can do this with the post office and your local paper, but you can also put a hold on UPS and FedEx deliveries if you first create accounts with them.
Ask for Help
As an alternative to stopping delivery, ask a friend to pick up the mail and packages for you. If you have complete trust in the person, you might lend them a key and have them bring the items inside. Otherwise, ask them to keep the items in their own home until you return. Furthermore, you should ask neighbors to keep an eye on your property while you are away, and you can do the same for them in the future.
Install a Security System
An electronic security system provides the highest level of security for your home. A motion-triggered surveillance camera at the front door will record anyone who leaves – or takes – a package, and various sensors can be used to detect break-ins, which are reported automatically to a monitoring center and then to the police. (You can also have alerts sent to you via email and text.)
Signage that alerts people to the presence of a home security system acts as a strong deterrent. Most burglars are opportunists, and if they see that a home is protected, they’ll probably look elsewhere for an easier target.
The thought of a burglary is jarring, so many people just push the idea out of their minds. That won’t make the risk go away, however, and blaming others won’t make good the loss or repair the damage. Positive action is the only way to keep your home safe.
For home security systems in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Suffolk and the Outer Banks, contact Johns Brothers Security.