Vacation Security Checklist

l Replace broken screens, latches, and windowpanes.
l Secure gates and sheds.
l Trim shrubbery.
l Don’t hide house keys outside.
l Give a neighbor a spare key. Ask them to get mail and newspapers, put trash cans in front of your house on trash day, mow and rake the lawn, and/or park in the driveway.
l Turn off iron, ice-maker, electronics, and phone ringer.
l Leave automatic sprinklers on, put timers on lamps, and install motion-activated lights outside.
l Leave draperies open slightly on upper floors.
l Don’t announce your absence with answering machine messages or notes on the door.
l Remove garage door openers and house keys from cars.
l Put valuables in safe-deposit box.
l Inform your local police that you'll be away.