Protecting Your Home While You're Away

Should I hide a key near my front door?

I think that there is a disadvantage to hiding a key by your front door, and that is that it becomes kind of a common spot for people to look for it. I think the better idea is to ask a neighbour to look after your house and give them a key. Or, if you have family members that live close by, give them a key to your house and let them take care of it. Having a loose key out in the open sometimes can cause problems.

Who should I tell I'm going on vacation?

I think that what you want to do is tell a trusted neighbor. Or if you have family close by, you want to tell them you're going to be on vacation. Tell them how long you're going to be on vacation, and also give them telephone numbers where they can contact you. If that's the hotel or if that's on your cell phone, or whatever means of communication, make sure that they have it in case there is an emergency.

What should I do with my valuables before I leave?

What you want to do with your valuables before you leave, if you don't have a home safe, is try to put them in a place where someone might not think where they are. For instance, you might want to put them in a secret hiding place, or somewhere that's just out of the norm where someone will look for them. Because if some does break into your house, you don't want them in obvious places where people can go in there, grab them and leave