9 ways to protect your home while you’re away

30/06/2024

With summer holidays just around the corner, many of us will be leaving behind our homes for holiday spots both near and far. Although we wish we could be in two places at once the reality is, we can’t. Planning ahead and taking a few simple precautions to ensure your home security, will save you unnecessary stress while on holidays.

Here, security expert and founder of Australia’s highest rated security monitoring centre, Calamity, Daniel Lewkovitz shares his top tips on how to keep your house safe while you’re away.

1. Make friends with your neighbours

Becoming friends with the neighbours is mutually beneficial. However it’s not something people typically do these days.

Ask a neighbour to collect mail for you while you’re away – as well as to keep an eye out for any leaflets or newspapers left on your doorstep to help keep your front yard tidy.

A neighbour parking in your driveway also signals someone is home (and they will appreciate the extra car space).

9 ways to protect your home while you’re away

If possible, having a friend or family swing by to neaten up your front yard will help to give the impression that your home is lived-in.(Photography: Chris Warnes | Story: Inside Out)

2. Upgrade your defence

One of the more obvious tips is to make sure your security is up to date. Recent ABS research found 60% of victims’ security had been compromised due to a faulty deadlock or loose window frame that was easily jimmied open. Delaying intrusion is important. Particularly if an alarm is triggered and the would-be thief is racing against the clock before a responder arrives. So make sure your doors, windows, and security screens are in good condition.

With lockable devices like Austral Lock Elegance Push 2 Go, designed and tested in Australia to exceed Australian standards, you can easily lock your security door with a push of a button and without a key, without locking anyone inside the home. The door can be unlocked from the inside with the turnsnib and unlocked from the outside with a key. Available in 24 colours and with a 10 year limited mechanical guarantee, you can feel safe that your home is protected while you’re not there.

3. Don’t help conceal a thief

Burglars like privacy. They can be deterred from targeting your house by establishing a clear line of sight from the house to the street. T

his encourages “natural surveillance” and makes your home a harder target. Remove any bushes or shrubs near an entrance that could help a thief be hidden from a passer-by’s view.

How to upgrade your house to a smart home . (Styling: Julia Green | Photography: Armelle Habib | Story: Inside Out )

4. Avoid Climbing Points

Criminals know that first-floor and above doors and windows are typically less secure than ground-level entry points. Toeholds such as external air-conditoners and (ironically) window grilles can help criminals gain access to upper levels.

High-rise apartment dwellers are not immune. While you may think you live twelve stories up, you are only really one storey above the balcony below yours. Your security is still important.

5. Monitor your home from wherever you are

Modern smart home security systems from companies like Ring allow homeowners to arm and disarm their alarm system, remotely open doors for visitors and even view cameras from their smartphone wherever they are.

Not only is this an excellent security improvement it is also a lifestyle benefit. Imagine sitting around the pool on holiday somewhere but still being able to let in a delivery of this month’s pet food, or the gardener.

5 home security updates that won’t impact your design . (Photography: Maree Homer)

6. Don’t advertise your valuables

If you have expensive items in plain sight you might as well be shouting “We have money!” to the world.

Make sure to conceal any valuable or expensive items by keeping the blinds closed or moving them away from windows.

When discarding the boxes and packaging from this year’s Christmas presents, carefully consider their visibility and put them out as close to rubbish collection day as possible.

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7. Store valuables in a safe

The most common targets in a robbery are money and jewellery. By installing a quality safe in your house you can provide extra security for those more valuable items.

Just remember, criminals know the bedroom safe likely has the jewellery in it. Consider using that as a decoy and installing a better safe somewhere they won’t look.

>> Get smart with home automation systems . (Photo: Tony Scott)

8. Guard your keys

It is well known that you should not hide keys on the outside of the house. But you should also be aware of the risks involved when lending your keys to tradespeople and acquaintances.

Keys are easily copied and can provide burglars with an easy access to your property. Consider a smart electronic locking system or a ‘restricted key’ system which makes this more difficult.

If your house is broken into, immediately change the locks. Your insurer likely includes this in the policy.

9. Don’t share your free house and cool gifts on social media

Stop over sharing. Posting photos of your wonderful holiday to social media might seem like a no-brainer but advertising that you’re away from home can result in unwelcome visitors.

If you overshare your private information to the public on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook or Twitter people will be able to easily compile data including where you live and when your house is free.