No one wants to return from a relaxing holiday to a home that has been broken into. Read on to find how to keep your home safe while you are away.

You will not be surprised to learn that the demand for home security and home surveillance items shoots up every year before the holiday season. This year is no exception. After all, we all know that holidays are traditionally peak season for house burglaries.

These tips can help keep your home safe while you are away:

Don’ts

• Don’t let your phone go on ringing. Set your voice mail or answering machine to pick up after two rings. Anyone listening from the outside may be led into thinking that there is somebody in the house.
• Don’t advertise that you are away on your home answering machine, your cell phone voice message or on social websites (especially not if you also elected to advertise your location there).
• Don’t put your home address or phone number on your luggage tag. Your name, cell phone number, email address and the phone number at your destination (if you know it) should suffice.

Dos

• Install an alarm system and make it very obvious that you have it in place. Unless the house is being targeted by a professional for some specific item, an alarm system will normally discourage opportunistic would-be burglars.
• Install security cameras or CCTV systems, and make them easy to spot. They often act as an excellent deterrent.
• Give an appearance that the house is lived in. Have a house sitter. Ask a neighbour switch the lights on and off. Or lat least put your indoor lights on timer to go on automatically at night.
• Install motion-sensitive floodlights outside the house. Glaring light will deter potential intruders.

Check out what you need from the bidorbuy home security and home surveillance sections now, and enjoy a relaxing holiday!