Going on vacation is your time to relax and get rid of that stress from your daily routine. The last thing you want to do while enjoying a week at the cottage is worry about the shape of the home you’ve left behind. Lose that stress by taking a few steps to make sure you are protected while you’re away from home.

Locks

Technology is changing. There are digital locks on the market that you can lock and unlock from your phone without a key. Some can even connect directly to your alarm system, alerting you in the case of any suspicious activity.

If you’re old school, and aren’t ready to go digital, make sure you’ve invested in some good multi-point locks for your entryways. They’ll be more secure against break-ins than a single-point lock.

If you have a sliding door, place a piece of wood or a metal bar in the track. As an extra bit of security, put a screw into the bottom of the door frame through the rod — that will keep it from moving in case any would-be intruders try to jimmy it out of place.

Lights

Selecting the right lighting for your outdoors not only looks good, but can deter thieves from breaking in under the cover or darkness. Motion activated lights placed around your entry points (doors, windows, garage) as well as any particularly dark corners will make someone think twice about sneaking around.

With motion detection, you can go with an active sensor, which switches on when sound waves are interrupted in the vicinity, or passive sensors, which activate when heat is detected. Typically, a passive sensor will do a better job of only activating when a person is nearby, in place of active sensors which can be tripped by small animals.

Are you leaving lights on in the home as well? Setting timers for your main windowed areas to go on and off during the day to give the appearance of life in your home. It’s even better if you can control your timers digitally from your cellphone. If someone’s watching your home, they may notice that the lights go on every night at 7 and switch off at 11. By doing it manually from your phone, you can switch up when the lights go on and off. Now that’s a bright idea.

Providing the power

I’ve seen lots of people advocating for having a generator at the cottage — and that’s a great way to protect your systems from that unpredictable cottage weather. But having a generator at your house can keep you from coming home to a fridge full of spoiled food.

Along with a generator, have you invested in surge protection for your electrical systems? A whole house surge protector will connect to your electrical box keeping your devices safe from being damaged by surges or electrical strikes.

Remember, power surges can strike at any time, and you don’t want to come home from a relaxing vacation to find your devices wrecked by a surge. I listen to music all the time at home, and buy the best audio equipment I can. I learned the hard way what happens if you’re not protected from surges when I had to replace almost all of my electronics one year. That’s when I learned about whole home surge protection — and I’ve been covered ever since.

Who are the people in your neighbourhood?

One of your most powerful resource to safeguard your home comes from the people around you: your neighbours. If you’ve built a good relationship with your neighbours, don’t hesitate to let them know you’ll be away and ask if they can take care of simple giveaways that somebody hasn’t been home in a while (like taking in your mail).

Don’t forget your digital neighbours — if you’re posting all over social media that you’re gone, you’re broadcasting to all your friends and followers that there’s a house that’s sitting empty. Save the vacation photos for when you get back.

Getting away is supposed to be fun. Take the worry out of your next vacation by making sure your house is properly secured before you leave. Have a great vacation.

Mike Holmes : Making Your Home Secure Before Vacation Time by National Post