In the spirit of 34 years of building secure Tuff Shed structures, we’d like to offer homeowners some tips for keeping your house secure while off on summer vacation.

Services

• Ask for help from a neighbor to keep an eye on your home while you are away.
• Stop your mail, newspapers, and other deliveries or have a neighbor pick them up daily.
• Arrange to have your lawn mowed while you’re away.
• Ask a neighbor to set out your trash/recycle bins on collection day and then retrieve empty containers the same day.

Adjust Normal Home Systems

• Set and activate a timer to turn some interior lights on and off.
• Adjust air conditioner a few degrees higher.
• Turn off water at clothes washing machine.

Important Contacts

• Make sure at least one neighbor knows how to reach you while you’re away.
• Contact your alarm monitoring service to let them know you’ll be out of town. Give them your neighbor’s contact information as well.

Security

• Park your cars in the garage. If you must leave a car out on the street or in the driveway, remove any garage door openers from inside.
• Leave blinds and shades in their normal positions. Burglars are attracted to homes with windows that remain covered day and night.
• Before you lock the front door, take one last tour of the house to make sure all windows are locked and that the alarm system is correctly armed.

Don’t post your travel plans on social media or discuss them in public places. Better not to broadcast that you’ll be away from home.