Bloomingdale resident and ADT account manager Clifton Durant: Home safety tips while on vacation

From: CDurant@adt.com
Subject: Home Safety Tips While On Vacation
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2015 20:37:05 +0000
     

Neighbors,

  

As we pass the half-way mark of the summer and the reports of various incidents of break-ins start to roll in, I thought now would be a good time to just post a reminder of things we can all do to keep our homes a little bit safer while on vacation.  For more  information than what’s listed below, please see the multitude of online articles written on the subject.

  

Safety Tips For Your Home While On Vacation (in no particular order):

   

1-      Lock your doors and windows.  Seems like a no-brainer, but most break-ins occur through unlocked or open doors and windows.  That door or those windows that you tend to keep unlocked for whatever reason, sometimes can be forgotten about when you’re rushing to get to the airport on time.  Better to take a couple of extra minutes and check each door and window before leaving.

  

2-      Stop your mail and have a neighbor or friend watch out for packages and leaflets.  As we all know, having packages left for us just while we’re at work for 8-10 hours, and it not be taken can be a roll of the dice.  Imagine that package sitting on your porch or steps for a week or two and it becomes an even riskier proposition.

  

3-      Don’t post your travel plans on social media.  This goes for before and during your trip.  While most of us have heard and know better than to tell the world when we’ll be leaving for a trip, it seems that once we’re away and  start taking pictures of our exotic locales, we forget that criminals are watching and we post pictures of the great day we just had, hundreds of miles away from home.  Resist the urge and don’t share your pictures until you’re back home, safe and sound.

  

4-      If you plan to be away for longer than a couple of weeks, have someone stop by to address the lawn.  Overgrown weeds or plants or otherwise ignored landscaping will make a home appear vacant, which is an attractive target to a criminal looking for an easy mark.

   

5-      Make the home appear to be lived in.  Having your lights come on and off  periodically, will make it appear as if someone is home.  You can accomplish this by having timers placed in your home, or with automated features offered by a few home security companies.

  

6-      If you do have a security system, arm it.  Criminals count on and benefit from the forgetfulness and laziness of homeowners with security systems.  Even if they ignore your yard sign (which is enough to turn, on average, about 70-75% of them away), having that blaring alarm sounding when your home is breached, is usually enough to have most bad guys abort any further plans.  Also, it’s a good idea to contact your security company and let them know you’ll be away, and you can alter your contact list during that time.

  

Thanks for indulging me and taking the time to read this.

  

As always, if you have any questions about home safety or security, please feel free to reach out to me by phone, email or text.  I’ll be happy to assist you in any way that I can.

  

Let’s keep each other safe!

   

Clifton Durant

Account Manager-Sales

ADT Security Services

DC/MD/VA Region

Mobile: 301.758.4766

Office: 703.866.7580

cdurant@adt.com