How do you secure your home while on vacation?

[Florida_cruisers]

After watching a show on Discovery Channel last night "It takes a thief", I am paranoid about our leaving our home for our upcoming trip. We will be gone for almost three weeks total.

We have a security system, but it can be as easy as cutting the phone line for the alarm not to work. My neighborhood is pretty safe, so I think. Even with that, you just never know.

We are planning on putting our lights on a timer too and I am thinking about asking my grandmother to housesit for us while we are gone. But DH refuses because of her living habits (lets just say that it is not the most hygenic).

I am truly paranoid now :eek:

[superjerryw]

I've seen a couple of episodes of that show and in each case they gain entry to the house because the occupants leave the doors open or the windows unlocked. The thieves readily admit they don't like homes with a security system and they look for alarm company signs. Just be sure you take basic precautions while away like having someone pick up newspapers that might be left outside the house which is a sign no one has been home for an extended period of time and have the post office hold your mail.

[chotton]

Lock all the doors, windows, and close the blinds. The house and it's contents are insured, plus either my fiances parents or my parents are by once a day.

[rfische1]

Know your neighbors and let the trusted ones know you will be away and that you don't expect anyone to come by the house while you are gone. I do this in addition to locking the windows, door, etc and lights on timers. Make sure mail and newspapers are picked up or stopped. I also leave a car in the drive. I've heard it suggested to have a clock radio or tv (most come with clocks today) come on during the evening.

[pinkrosesdeb]

We have my in-laws come to Florida and stay with our dog while we are gone. They get a free vacation and we have things taken care of. Works great for us!

[MrsKnuts2]

We have our younger daughter stay with our 2 dogs.

When she comes with us, we have a dog sitter come in 3 times a day so there is a lot of activity at the house.

[Folgy]

We have an attack cat :D

[vijoge]

I lock the doors and windows and then just don't worry about it. I figure if someone is really intent on breaking in there's nothing that's going to stop them (short of Folgy's attack cat, but we have a beagle so that's not much help!).

[GSDsky]

The shot in my Avatar is one of my dogs.

His rental is free but the owner (me) must come along.

Weather has to be better than Toronto right now.

 

We had 2 weeks away in Jan and my young daughter looked after the house with 2 of these guys babysitting her.

 

Truth is someone would steal the dogs as "big" sucks... ;)

 

There must be a house sitting service or timers etc hooked up to lights and music.

[Cruisehappymn]

I always worry about the service door to the garage. Once someone is in your garage, they can take their time if you don't have an alarm. Even though I do have an alarm, I still barracade the service door so they can't get in the garage.

[brn2crz]

One thing we do in our neighborhood,and it may not apply to those of you North yet.But we mow each others yard while we are gone.(although a lot of neighbors have gone to private companys)...and thats messing with the system.

Don't know if I Could get someone to do it for 3 weeks though.:D

[celtic selke]

We have two German Shepherds and two yippy cock-a-poos. The pet sitter comes twice a day.

 

I know that the Shepherds scare the heck out of most people. And the poos bark like lunatics when anyone just walks by the house.

 

Plus , we have nothing worth stealing. Spent it all on cruises.:D

 

 

celtic

[bpear1600]

We have an alarm system and we live in a gated community so I think we're pretty safe. Being kind of new to this neighborhood we didn't tell anybody when we went on our last cruise and we stopped the mail and the paper.

 

Upon return from the cruise I found papers for the week piled at our front door where our neighbor had put them. The nitwit that delivers completely blew it according to the Circulation Desk. They said we wouldn't be charged but she knew that was little consolation. We thanked the neighbor for what he did but he could have kept the papers at his house rather than pile them on our stoop.

 

We'll do the same thing next time and hope for the best.

[TheWog]

We have a relative (younger BIL) stay at the house. He loves to do it and we are satisfied knowing someone is there and the dogs are fed. ;)

[bpear1600]

One thing we do in our neighborhood,and it may not apply to those of you North yet.But we mow each others yard while we are gone.(although a lot of neighbors have gone to private companys)...and thats messing with the system.

Don't know if I Could get someone to do it for 3 weeks though.:D

 

We did that up north but it didn't work very well. Our grass grew so fast in the spring it had to be cut every 4 days and one time I came back a day early and it was knee high. Another time I went for three weeks and the neighbor cut it once, the day before, and didn't collect the clippings. What a mess.:eek:

 

We all went to lawn services after a while. $20 a week to cut, trim and sweep 3/4 of an acre in CT wasn't bad. I pay $35 a week in SC for 1/3 of that.

[The Brown Hornet]

We duct tape every door and window before leaving.

 

Any excess duct tape we take on the cruise to help string up the lighting system we create on the balcony, and to hold down the balcony gnomes that we place on the balcony rails.

 

tic

 

 

:D

[MopedMama]

Folgy: do you really have an attack cat? Cool - I do too - 24 lbs worth of cattitude. Mine had the piano movers up against the wall when I stepped outside for a moment to talk to a neighbor. That's how I found out he was an attack cat. He's a nice sweet kitty as long as I'm in the room, then instant BAD kitty when a stranger is left alone in the house. And he chased off the alarm system installers too. I had to come home from work and lock him in the bedroom so they could finish.

 

How do I protect my house - attack cat, plus alarm system, plus the neighbor's only about 10 feet away and she comes over every day at least once to check on the critters and get the mail, etc. Plus I have a friend that house sits sometimes and he can be bribed to mow the lawn occasionally. Plus I don't have anything to steal, spent it all on cruises too, lol.

[Folgy]

LOL, Actually my cat is overly affecionate dufus.He would purr the buglar to death.

My nieghbours german sheppard did thwart a crime against our vehicles once though.

[Alphawave]

You mean besides my mother, two large German Shepherds, my grown daughter, and Brinks alarm?

[Richro]

A house sitter, a german shepherd, and a security alarm....not in any particular order :D

[cruzincurt]

I suggest you turn off the water. Those washing machine hoses are the biggest cause of house flooding. Remember to replace them frequently. I buy the kind with the braided steel cover. Those plastic feed tubes to toilets and sinks are also not dependable. A friend came home to a waterfall coming down the stairs from the upstairs bathroom. A another friend had to have the entire first floor wood floor replaced after a washing machine hose broke.

 

Also turning off the water will keep someone from turning on your outside hose and letting it run all week.

 

I also unplug the garage door opener. Put a radio and lights on timers, stop the mail and the newspaper. Maybe leave a car sitting outside in the driveway.

 

Pay the neighbor kids to "watch" your house. I had an uncle that paid the area kids to "watch" his cabin. He figured a little "payola" went a long way.

[JDee]

1. Turn the power off to your computer & electric hot water heater.

 

2. Adjust thermostat...save on heat/AC.....

[teach01]

The shot in my Avatar is one of my dogs.

His rental is free but the owner (me) must come along.

Weather has to be better than Toronto right now.

 

We had 2 weeks away in Jan and my young daughter looked after the house with 2 of these guys babysitting her.

 

Truth is someone would steal the dogs as "big" sucks... ;)

 

There must be a house sitting service or timers etc hooked up to lights and music.

 

rotti--we have a rotti too, her name is Nala. She is the biggest softy on earth!!! Would much rather whine than bark!!!!! LOVES kids, and getting pets!!!!

[Mikey8Ohio]

We have an alarm system, but ours has a cell phone backup. If the outside wires are cut, the cell phone springs into action. I asked my sister to stop and pick up the mail and papers on our last cruise, and of course she forgot. I won't go into what names I called her, but fortunately, everything was fine. Have to confess, reading about water and hoses, etc, has given me something new to worry about when we travel again....

[KimiCLAS]

Alarm system, lots of friends to stop by & check on house, yellow lab (baby) and hire a housesitter.