The holiday season brings busy schedules, trips to see family, and perhaps lots of presents. Amidst all of the fun, experts are warning you to not leave yourself, or your home, open to thieves.
It’s easy to get caught up with packing presents or packing for that family vacation to visit loved ones and to forget about keeping your home safe over the holidays.
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Eryn Garriock, a broker with Garriock Insurance, warns if you don’t take the steps to secure your home, you could come back to a nasty surprise.
“You don’t want to be a target for thieves when they see you haven’t driven up and down your driveway for a couple of days, your mail is starting to pile up,” Garriock said.
She advises you hire a company to come by and plow the snow on your driveway while you’re away or lean on a friend or neighbour to come by and check on your home and keep things safe.
“A lot of insurance companies, after a certain period of time – and all of them vary again from one to four days, require that you do have a competent person enter in to your home,” Garriock said.
Winnipeg police have some tips of their own:
- Use light timers for your lights to give the impression that someone is home
- Place a hold or pick up all deliveries, newspapers and your mail
- Keep ladders or climbing devices locked away and out of sight or they might be used to gain entry
- Make sure that all your valuables are stored properly or put in to a safety deposit box
“Make sure that you leave your home in the care of someone you trust and let them know where you can be reached in case of emergency,” Const. Jay Murray with the Winnipeg Police Service said.
Police also recommend the use of a surveillance camera system to properly monitor your home.
RCMP have tweeted out holiday safety reminders as well.
More to come