Secure Your Home for Vacation

Let trusted neighbors know you'll be gone on vacation so they can keep an eye out for any unusual activities at your house. Leave your cell phone number with them.

Ask a friend to come by your home every two or three days throughout your vacation. Sure, it's good to have someone feed the cat, bring in the mail or water the plants, but also ask them to walk through the house to see if anything's amiss. Give them a key; don't leave it under the door mat or other obvious place.

If you'll be gone for more than a few days, notify the local police department or Neighborhood Watch captain.

Burglars aren't interested in occupied houses, so make it look like someone's around:

• Suspend newspaper and mail delivery. Because the paper and the postal service don't always get it right, have someone check for newspapers and mail, as well as delivers and fliers that might show up at your door.
• Put a few key lights on a timer, as well as your television or a radio.
• Ask a neighbor to park in your driveway.
• Have someone mow the lawn or shovel snow.
• Consider leaving your dog at home instead of at a kennel, if the dog is comfortable being alone and someone comes by twice a day to take care of it. A dog can be an excellent burglar deterrent.

And consider installing motion detectors on exterior lights.

Make sure all locks are in good working order and then lock all doors, including the garage before you leave for vacation. Lock the gate to the backyard to discourage burglars and neighborhood kids.

Reinforce your patio door lock — it's a common entry for burglars. Check out the easy-to-install lock kits designed for your type of door. Or simply put a cut-off broomstick in the track to make it difficult to slide open.

Reinforce window locks, especially on those in the back of the house or to the basement. Basic window locks are easy to open if burglars break the glass and reach in. You can buy kits to reinforce locks, or upgrade them.

Take steps to prevent fires and flooding — and to save energy:

• Adjust the furnace or air conditioner temperature to save energy.
• Shut off the water to prevent burst pipes, especially if temperatures drop.
• Make sure the stove and oven are turned off. Unplug small heat-generating appliances, such as curling irons.
• Unplug your computer, television and other expensive electronics to prevent damage from power surges. Unplug all chargers too.