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How to protect an apartment from thieves when going on vacation
The suitcase is packed, the ticket to the sea is on hand, I wouldn’t forget anything … Stop! Check the security of your home to avoid becoming a victim of thieves.
According to statistics, it is in the summer, while the owners are at their dacha or the sea, that the largest number of burglaries occurs. How to protect your home from intruders? We turned to real professionals for advice. Our experts are Alexander Sidsky, commercial director of the Patriot enterprise and Denis Kanygin, general director of the Tsargrad security company.
It turns out that when leaving, it is quite easy to portray the appearance of your presence in the apartment. The main thing is to be aware of the signals that work for thieves like a green light at a traffic light. And our own apartment gives them to criminals.
1. Mailbox
If suddenly he began to swell from advertising booklets, newspapers, “letters of happiness” and the like nonsense, it says only one thing – the owners are not at home.
What to do: give the keys to the box to your beloved and trusted neighbor or friend so that she takes out the waste paper more often.
2. Readings on the electricity meter
Do not change? It means that there is no one inside. After all, a modern person cannot live an hour of electricity.
What to do: again, you can’t do without the help of friends. Ask them not only to come to the apartment to check, but to sit, drink tea, watch TV. Alas, one switched on refrigerator that you left to work is not enough for the counter to reflect your presence in the house.
3. Dead time
Curtains on the windows, which are frozen in one position, withered flowers in pots on the window, a forgotten rug on the balcony. There are clear signs that there is not a soul in the house.
What to do: since a friend has agreed to sit in your kitchen and drink some tea, then he will be able to pull back the curtains. And change some other decorations, loom in the windows. In general, create the appearance of presence. Yes, yes, almost like in a movie about Sherlock Holmes, where Mrs. Hudson twisted a wax doll to make it “alive”.
4. Open window, window or balcony door
The window is open for too long, and the scenery does not change – unless you asked your friend to change them (see paragraph above). This is too strong a temptation for thieves. Especially if you live on the first or last floor.
What to do: the windows should be closed even when going to the store. And not like going on vacation.
5. Home phone
Answering machine picks up the phone? So so idea. If a robot answers the phone for several days in a row, then the thief from “Home Alone” will guess that you are away.
What to do: it is better to turn off your home phone during your absence. Nowadays, many people refuse to use landline phones, so you will not surprise thieves with this.
Interesting fact: the modern thief is not a caveman. He also loves to read your posts on social networks, where you share your vacation photos. And the thief is also interested, like you, in articles of harmonious home improvement. Why would he? To better know the habits of future victims. And, if you arrange objects in Feng Shui, then a thief, coming to you, will immediately “read” it and will look for money where it should be according to this philosophy.
By the way, an interesting remark. If your apartment is equipped with an alarm, the very fact that someone is going to hack you decreases significantly. After all, it is much easier to open an apartment that is closed with a regular lock.
This will help protect your apartment.
1. Put an imitation of the security alarm: a blinking sensor next to the entrance door on the staircase, a video camera.
2. When you open the front door, you can install a screamer sensor, which will trigger and give a loud signal, which, possibly, will scare off uninvited guests when intruders enter.
3. Now there is a special “smart home” system that can control heating, turning on the lights, etc. without your presence. There is an even simpler way: buy several timers for turning on and off the light, which are installed in the sockets, in an electrical store. Let it feel like there are people in the house.
4. Cover your front door and apartment windows with newspapers, hinting that you are undergoing renovations: burglars do not like such problem homes, where it is difficult at first glance to find your secret stash.
Valuables, family jewelry heirlooms are best taken during the vacation to a special safe deposit box
5. Ask a neighbor to dust off your door handle; you don’t see her, but the thief is paying attention. A wet rag near the apartment on the landing also indicates a presence in the house.
6. Invite grandmothers who love to sit on a bench to look after their homes: recently, after watching detective series, they have become superinvestigators. And treat them with chocolate or fruit – they will be grateful to you and will become your eternal guards.
7. Upload your vacation photo reports when you get home. You just wanted to share your joy and tell useful life hacks from the trip – what’s the difference at what time to do it.