IT IS THE festive season and you are ready to head out on your ultimate vacation because we all need a good time away with family to wind down and relax into the upcoming year.

The holiday season is exciting and it is a time when we can feel free of responsibility. While this is so, it is quite important to make sure that certain aspects of the home are taken care of before leaving for the holidays. This will protect you, your home and your belongings.

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Here are tips on how to keep your home safe while you are away these holidays:

• Do not let everyone you know that you are going away
This is quite important because this can potentially compromise the safety of your home. You cannot be sure of everyone’s true intentions.
This coincides with being careful what you share on social media. Posting a status update that says you will be going away on vacation for two weeks is not ideal for personal security. Keep what you share to a minimum, and rather share your vacation pictures and updates when you are back from vacation.

• Be sure to have some form of lighting on for the nighttime
Leaving your home alone for long periods can pose a security threat. People who have ill intentions will be able to see that nobody’s home when nighttime comes around. To mitigate the risk of your home being burglarised, you can either buy battery-operated lights that you leave on when you are gone or install an automatic light system that switches on at specific times.

• Let your neighbourhood watch and armed response company know that you will be gone
Your neighbourhood watch and armed response company should know that you will not be home for the holidays so that they will be on the lookout for any potentially suspicious behaviour.

Also read: Teach your child about fire safety

• Switch off appliances and electrical lights
Before leaving for the festive season, be sure to switch off appliances that do not need to be on 24/7. You can keep your fridge on, but appliances like the kettle, as well as other plugs, should be switched off. If you have any Christmas lights up, you should unplug those too. This will save electricity and prevent any electrical fires from happening while you are gone.

• Have an efficient security alarm system installed
This is probably one of the most important points on this list. Having a good security alarm system is essential, particularly in South Africa where crime is a significant issue. Make sure that if you have CCTV, it works properly. You can also get a remote CCTV system that allows you to monitor your home while you are away.
Alarms should also function well when triggered so that the neighbourhood as well as the security company will be aware if there is a security breach.

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