Whether going out of the country or heading to the ancestral house, most of us love to spend quality time with our families during the holiday season. If you’re living solo, this means you’ll have to leave your home for quite some time, making it vulnerable to thieves or other incidents. Luckily, there are easy ways to bolster your condo’s security and keep it safe while you’re out.
Here are 10 condo security ideas you should consider doing before leaving your home for the holidays.
Secure your valuables
According to research, cash, prescription drugs, and jewelry rank the highest among the most common things that are stolen by burglars. As such, you might want to keep your prescription drugs and jewelry somewhere they can’t get access to. This could be an integrated safe, a secret compartment in the house (if any) or a bank locker.
Meanwhile, cash lying around the house can be deposited in your bank account and can be withdrawn upon your return.
Turn everything off
To avoid fire caused by short circuits or overheated appliances, you should turn off the lights and gas tank, and unplug all appliances before going out. Not only do you save on electricity and gas, but this home safety tip also keeps your neighbor’s and your own condo unit safe.
Make it look like someone is at home
Yes, we just told you to turn things off, but hear us out on this safety tip for condo living. Leave a light on or use a battery-powered radio set to a low volume. This will make it seem like there’s still someone inside your condo unit, possibly deterring any burglary attempt.
If you plan to leave a light on, make sure that you’ll be using a low wattage bulb that can withstand long hours of usage and doesn’t heat up quickly. This will make this option a little bit economical and lower the risk of overheating which may cause a fire.
Always have a fire alarm and fire extinguisher
Speaking of fire, it would be best for any household to have a fire alarm and fire extinguisher ready in case, well, fire breaks out. Before you leave, make sure that the fire alarm works and that check the expiry date of the fire extinguisher. Have it repaired or replaced if needed.
A working fire alarm would make it easier for your neighbors know that a fire has started, while the fire extinguisher will make it easier for the first responders to put out the flame. It is also best to conduct fire prevention check up in your condo to have peace of mind.
Lock the doors
The most obvious safety tip for condo living would be to lock the doors. It may seem trivial to do this, but forgetting to lock the door gives thieves easy access to practically everything in your condo.
If possible, lock every door in your house. This will make it a lot harder and slower for any burglar to steal your hard-earned appliances and other items. You can also install a deadbolt to make your doors a lot more secure than the usual. A deadbolt is a mechanism that cannot be moved unless you use the right key, making it more resistant to forced entry.
Install a CCTV
One of the best home security tools to invest is by installing video surveillance or closed-circuit television (CCTV) to monitor your condo unit. Some models simply record when motion is detected, while others provide you with a live feed of what’s happening inside your condo on your smartphone while you’re miles away from home. Some CCTV even send you a notification if based on the motion detector. The video recorded from the CCTV can even be used to incriminate a thief.
Automate your house
You can have total control of your house using domotics or house automation. This is a secure system that will allow the owner of the house to control the lighting, air conditioning, door locks, and more through your smartphone.
You can also add a fingerprint scanner at the door and motion sensor alarms around the house for added security.
Call for help
This is related to installing a CCTV. Once you see something that’s not right or witness the burglary live, call the condo admin and the police. If a fire is about to spread, you can call the firefighters. Having the right numbers in your phone will come in handy in times like these.
Let condo security or admin know
Informing your departure from the condo security is a good tip. You can request the admin to send security guards to check on your door for any signs of a break-in or for suspicious people. Just don’t tell them what’s inside your unit as it can tempt them to do the unlawful act of burglary.
Call a friend
If you don’t feel comfortable entrusting your condo to the admin or security personnel, you might want to call a trustworthy friend instead. You can ask them to check up on your condo or give them the keys to it. You can let them stay there, and treat them to a few drinks and food. Alternatively, you can give them a token of appreciation when you come back. Don’t forget to let the admin know that you’re letting that friend in your unit.
BONUS
Be careful on social media
You might want to watch what you post on your social media accounts during your vacation. You never know who could be watching your accounts. You might accidentally let someone in your circle or an acquaintance know that you’re out on a vacation and nobody is in your condo. As an additional holiday safety tip, it would be best to post your whereabouts or the wonderful time you had after your trip.
Visiting your family or going out on a vacation with your friends during the holidays can sure be fun, especially if you’ve secured your condo unit properly. These 10 security tips will help you have peace of mind while you enjoy your trip and save you the hassle of having to file insurance or a police report when you get home. After all, you’ll surely want to catch up on some rest after being away from home for a long time.
