4 Holiday Home Safety Tips

While the holiday season is the most wonderful time of year, the hustle and bustle of gift shopping, decorating, and travel planning can quickly become chaotic and distracting. With so many things on your plate and so many people coming and going throughout this festive season, it’s easy for home holiday safety to take a back seat.

With the following four holiday safety tips for your home, you can focus on making magical memories with loved ones and spreading holiday cheer, knowing you, your family, and your property are all safe and secure from potential intruders and thefts.

Holiday Home Safety Checklist

1) Avoid Broadcasting Your Travel Plans

While posting your travel plans may make orchestrating holiday get-togethers easier, you risk putting the right information into the wrong hands. Posting travel information like your travel destination, dates, etc. notifies others when your home will be empty. It’s best to avoid broadcasting your travel plans online to avoid potential cyber hackers and unwanted visitors from knowing when you’ll be away.

2) Update to Keyless Smart Locks

With so many visitors stopping in, it’s hard to manage who has access to keys that unlock your door. And if extra keys are floating around, the risk of lost or misplaced keys can increase your security vulnerability. With keyless smart locks, you eliminate the need for physical keys while boosting the security of your home. Some keyless lock options, like the Schlage Sense BE479, offer bonus features for more convenience, security, and flexibility, such as keyless access codes, smart phone access, usage alerts, and so much more. If you’re traveling during the holidays, you can easily customize access codes right from the Schlage mobile app, so you can easily allow access to any trusted neighbors or friends to check in on your home.

3) Install Surveillance Cameras

Whether you’re traveling, staying home, or going out for the night, security cameras allow you to monitor activity in and around your home. There are many surveillance options available for homeowners to boost home security. One of our favorite options for front-door surveillance is our VistaCam 1200 WiFi Doorbell Camera for its impressive security features including two-way talking, live video feed and infrared night vision. During this time of year, security cameras are incredibly beneficial for monitoring incoming and outgoing holiday shipments and packages, as well!

4) Maintain an At-Home Presence with the Help of Home Automation

Skilled intruders know just what to look for when searching for homes to hit. It’s more appealing to a burglar to attack a home that’s been dark for a few days, as it sends the message that the homeowner is away. The best way to help deter potential intrusions and thefts is to make your house look as though you’re currently home.

While simple timers can help you schedule lights to turn on and off, there are added security benefits in investing in an integrated home automation system, such as the Nexia FE599GRNX Home Security Bundle. This option allows you to easily maintain an at-home presence and defend your home right from your smart devices. Did you remember to lock the front door or turn off the lights? The Nexia bundle allows you to have full, worry-free control over every aspect of your home, including the following:

• Managing your security cameras
• Monitoring and tracking smart lock access
• Signaling break-in siren alerts
• Controlling your outdoor holiday lights
• And so much more

In addition to home automation, there are some other routine habits you’ll want to maintain if you’re traveling this holiday season. One of the easiest ways to keep up an at-home presence is by asking a trusted friend, neighbor, or family member to help maintain some routine services and home maintenance, such as the following tasks:

• Mail & Paper Delivery: If you don’t have a friend or neighbor who can bring in your mail for you, consider asking USPS or your newspaper carrier to put a hold on your mail delivery while you’re gone.
• Snow Removal: It’s easy to tell when someone hasn’t been home when the snow on the driveway and walkways is left untouched. While you’re gone, ask a friend or hire a snow-removal service to keep up with shoveling, plowing, etc.
• Garbage and Recycling Pick Up: Ask someone to set your garbage out on the usual pick-up day and to bring the receptacle back in.
• Packages & Shipment Deliveries: Having a neighbor bring in packages as they get delivered will minimize the risk of those packages being stolen and prevent notifying others that the home is empty. With home automation alerts to your smartphone, you’ll also be able to tell right when your package arrives, so you can contact your neighbor as soon as possible!

Go Keyless This Holiday!

Give yourself the gift of peace of mind this holiday season by taking some extra home holiday safety measures. At GoKeyless, we can help you find the right security solutions to protect your home and your loved ones, including keyless locks, smart home automation systems, and more, so you can focus on what truly matters this holiday season–enjoying time with your loved ones.

From all of us at GoKeyless, have a safe and joyous holiday season!