With the holidays fast approaching, there is no better time than right now to prepare well. Pre-holiday stress is a reality and we’ve all felt that ‘Am I forgetting something?’ feeling. Whether we decide to ‘lock up and go’ or whether we decide to call on the services of a house sitter, it is important that we include some smart safety checks in our holiday preparations. Secure Rite shares some great items to add to your checklist.

1. Key to safety

Leave a spare set of keys, as well as a contact address, itinerary and phone number, with a trusted neighbour or nearby family member in case of an emergency while you are away.

2. Don’t be ALARMED

  • Ensure your alarm system batteries, sensors and panic buttons are tested at least 2 weeks before going away. This will allow enough time to get anything serviced or replaced if need be.
  • Notify your Security Provider that you will be away from home to encourage random house and street visits in your absence.
  • Ensure your Security Partner has the correct contact details for you while you are away.

Avoid false alarms by making sure all windows and doors are properly closed and locked, trim all shrubs and tree branches that could affect sensors while you are away.

3. Make the obvious less obvious

Often the simplest ‘safety’ actions can make the biggest difference. By arranging the following, we can make it much less obvious that no one is home:

  • Keep one or 2 lights on inside your home. Lamps with timers can work very well.
  • Make sure your post box is emptied every 2 days by a house sitter, a trusted neighbour or family members.
  • Make sure your wheelie bin does not stay out after collection. Arrange that your bin is placed back on your property by your house sitter, neighbour or family members.
  • Keep that garden maintained. Nothing screams ‘we’re on holiday’ louder than an overgrown garden. If possible, arrange a garden service at least once a week with a trusted gardener. Make key arrangements before you leave.
  • Be discreet about your travel plans on Social Media.

4. Take a load off

With the Increase in load shedding activity of late, there is a good possibility that this could happen while you are away. Prepare your home before going away:

  • Do not leave your freezer and fridge fully stocked before leaving on holiday, especially if you are not using a house sitter. Appliances can take strain during load shedding. The last thing we want is to return home to the smell of a broken fridge and freezer.
  • Switch all plugs off or use surge protectors on appliances.
  • Make use of solar-powered lighting in very dark areas around your home.

Ensure your alarm battery is in good condition and can withstand load shedding without negative effects while you are away.

5. Get greater control from anywhere

If you are a Secure Rite client, we are excited to let you know that you can manage your alarm system from your phone even while on holiday. Secure Rite has partnered with OLARM to give you greater control over your security system remotely. Arm and disarm your alarm from anywhere, receive instant notification of alarm activations, deactivate false alarms, be alerted for false alarms and bypass problematic alarm zones. You can contact Secure Rite for more details.

Remember, ‘Prevention is better than cure’, and a simple safety checklist will ensure that nothing slips through the cracks during our holiday preparation.  With a little proactive planning, we can all hit the holiday season with peace of mind knowing we have covered everything.

We asked Secure Rite what some of the common holiday mishaps have been in recent years. Here is a quick list of things you can help avoid:

  1. Outdated keyholder lists – We often arrive at a client residence to find a house sitter, neighbour, family member or friend who has activated the house alarm by mistake. The concerning thing is that they have a key but we, as the security partner, do not have them listed as a registered keyholder.
  2. False Alarms – There is almost always an increase in false alarms during the holiday season. Although some of these are the result of a house sitter getting acquainted with the system, most false alarms are caused by avoidable circumstances like a window that was not closed properly or overgrown trees that move in windy conditions near sensor beams.
  3. We couldn’t get hold of the home owner – whether we need to contact the home owner to inform of an incident or simply to confirm a keyholder, we have had so many instances where home owner contact details were either outdated or the numbers are unavailable due to international travel.

These are just some of the avoidable risks to safety that you can assist with. Help your Security Partner by following those useful tips.

Did you know? Secure Rite Security has just turned 26 years old. We spoke to Craig Austen,  CEO of Secure Rite who commented, ” We are proud to have served the Helderberg Community for this time. As a trusted Security Partner, we believe in service and personal attention for all our clients. We look forward to the next 26 years”.

Contact Secure Rite for any and all things security-related. We are happy to serve in your safety. Remember: We do Security, you do life.

Call your Secure Rite Team today.
0860 10 30 99.
Email address: info@securerite.co.za
Web address: www.securerite.co.za