Every year, more than 20 million tourists visit Colorado Springs -, especially during the summer. With gorgeous mountains, endless outdoor activities, and a beautiful climate, it’s no surprise that people love visiting the Pikes Peak region. For those of us that live here though, we are fortunate enough to experience the wonder of this city every day! When vacation time rolls around, we often pack our bags and head elsewhere for a week or two.
For homeowners in Colorado Springs, it’s important to take the necessary precautions when leaving your home unoccupied, even if only for a few days. While Colorado Springs is a relatively safe city, property crime is an unfortunate fact of life, especially when burglars know homeowners are away. This is nothing to be alarmed of, as this occurs everywhere in the world, but residents should be prepared to safeguard their home when leaving town.
Here are a few tips to keep your home safe during your summer vacation:
Hold Your Mail While on Vacation
If you plan to be away from Colorado Springs for more than a few days, have the post office hold your mail. A pile of unopened letters in the mailbox or a stack of packages on the porch can tip burglars off to the house being empty.
Install Motion-Sensor Lights
If you don’t already have these for your home, you should. Motion sensor lights will illuminate anyone who approaches your home and can help to scare away burglars. Moreover, if your neighbors know you are away and see the lights activated, they can notify the police that there is someone at your home.
Motion sensor lights should be installed around entrances of your home – like side-doors and the front patio. You can also add them to your walkway to help illuminate the paths at night.
Don’t Post Your Vacation to Social Media
Many experts recommend you refrain from posting intimate details about your vacation on social media. For example, posting “Off to Italy for two weeks with the family!” to your public social media page can alert burglars of your timeline.
Instead, post a few pictures of your vacation when you get home, and use the time away to disconnect from the online world.
Tell Your Neighbors
Finally, the most important tip, tell your neighbors. Let them know about your travel plans and ask them to watch over your home while you are away. If necessary, leave them a spare key and ask if they can water your plants or bring your mail inside (if you don’t have the post office suspend delivery).
By working with neighbors, you can have eyes watching over your property while you’re away. And then you can do the same for them when they go on vacation!