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It’s good to get away now and then, whether it’s for a long holiday or a day out – you might even have to go out to work every day if you’re not a remote worker. No matter the reason for leaving your house, it’s generally beneficial – you’ll get a change of scenery and some fresh air, and you’ll be doing something different. 

However, it can also be worrying because leaving your home unattended could mean disaster if you’re not careful. It’s terrible to have a great time away and then come home to find you’ve been burgled or there’s been some other kind of accident, like a fire or a flood. So with that in mind, here are some ways to protect your home when you’re not there so you can enjoy your time away. 

Invest In An Alarm System

Investing in an alarm system is one of the best ways to protect your home when you’re not there. Not only is this a great deterrent (a burglar generally won’t want to try to break into a property with a visible alarm when there are easier homes to get into), but if someone did actually get inside, you, your neighbours, and perhaps the police (depending on the type of alarm system you have) will be alerted quickly, minimising the damage and loss, plus you’d have evidence for a later date if you install CCTV as well. 

You can spend as much or as little as you feel comfortable with when it comes to an alarm system as long as it’s going to do what you want it to do. Make sure you do plenty of research first to ensure it’s the right choice, and then remember to set it each time you leave the house. 

Install Fire Doors

Perhaps theft isn’t your main concern (or you’ve already got an alarm); maybe you’re worried about a fire breaking out. Fires can happen for all kinds of reasons, and electrical faults are a potentially big hazard that you might not realise exists in your home. 

Although you’ll do what you can to reduce the risk of fire while you’re there – fire blankets and extinguishers are always useful, and so it generally taking care when lighting anything like candles, for example – you’ll have no control when you’re out, which is why installing fire doors with the right fire door handles is a great option. Fire doors prevent fire from spreading from room to room and instead keep the flames contained, so although the fire might still break out, the damage will be drastically reduced. 

Use Timers 

Another good tip to help you keep your home safe while you’re not there is to use timers for your lights and perhaps even other things around the house. You can find plug-in timers in most DIY shops, and these can be a useful budget option – just set the timer and plug the lamp or other device into the socket, and it will look as though someone is at home, switching on the lights. 

However, the issue here is that they’ll go on and off at the same time each day so it will soon become obvious that things are on a timer. A good alternative is to install smart lighting that you can control from your phone through an app – you can pick and choose to switch the lights on and off whenever you want, making it less obvious that you’re not there.