Countdown Day 4!
It’s Day 4 of the Perfectly Planned Countdown! Woohoo!
Hi folks! Rip here. I’m a Staff Sergeant with the OPP and although home security isn’t what I do day-to-day, it’s something we all need to be aware of. I thought I’d drop by and pass along 4 tips to keep your home safe when you’re away on your perfectly planned holiday.
Ask a neighbour to collect your mail and remove any newspapers. Keep in mind some insurance companies won’t cover your home if it’s been empty for more than 72 hours. So give someone a key and have them do a walk-through. Can’t tell you how many stories I’ve heard of a dishwasher, water heater, or pipe leaking the minute the homeowner leaves on a 7-day vacation.
Put lights on timers and switch it up if you can. In the winter have someone make tracks in the driveway and arrange to have the sidewalk shovelled. And don’t advertise you’re away on social media. Wait and share your photos when you get home.
Secure your home – lock all the doors and windows. Surprising how many people leave a window open a crack. That’s all they need.
Don’t leave your car keys hanging or sitting out where they’re visible through a window. They’ll take your valuables and your car. Speaking of keys, if you’re going to hide a spare, don’t leave it under the front door mat or in a flowerpot – that’s the first place they’ll look.
Keep your home safe and enjoy your vacation!
Thanks Rip, good advice! Speaking of hiding spots – We hid a spare house key in a little magnetic box and attached it to the underside of our barbeque. Which sounds like a great hiding place, except we bought a new barbeque and put the old one at the end of the driveway with a ‘free’ sign on it. Someone came along in a pick-up truck and carted it away. Only then did I remember that the house key was still attached to the barbeque. $100 to get all the locks changed – it was an expensive new barbeque!
There you have it – safety first! This is the last day to enter the Rafflecopter draw. Tomorrow I’ll share some behind-the-scenes stories of writing Perfectly Planned. It’s getting close to the release day!
And if you haven’t read Perfectly Honest – now’s the time to catch up. It’s on sale for $0.99 (only on amazon.com – sorry about that .ca people) but only until Nov.22. See you tomorrow!