Safety and Security

• Ask a trusted neighbor or friend to keep an eye on your home while you're away. Make sure this person has a key and knows how to operate your alarm system, if you have one. (It is always better to leave a key with a neighbor than to hide one in a planter or under the doormat.)
• Make sure you lock all windows and doors, as well as any vehicles that you leave at home.
• Use special timers to turn on several lights in rooms that are most visible from the street; these will give the impression that someone is home, especially if you time the lights to follow a normal schedule (the kitchen light goes on at dinnertime; the bedroom light goes on just before bedtime, for example).
• Contact the post office and newspapers to temporarily suspend service so mail and papers don't pile up. Or better yet, arrange for a friend to collect them so that fewer strangers know how long you'll be away.
• If you'll be gone for an extended length of time, hire someone to take out the trash (and bring the cans back in) and do other outdoor chores since thieves are always on the lookout for signs that a home is unattended.
• Put valuables in a safe deposit box, home safe, or hide them away in an unexpected spot in the house, rather than leaving, say, your precious diamond earrings in your jewelry box or underwear drawer.