We practically "wrote the book" on housesitting, and we've learned a lot about personal and home security since the day we started many years ago.

This section of our site is our way of sharing that knowledge with you. We list and describe twenty proven security tactics, and we signal each tactic with one or more symbols to identify where the tactics can be used. Here's what the symbols mean:
 

Whenever you plan to be away from home, use the initials to help make a quick security checklist before you leave.

1. Keep your windows fastened and doors locked at all times.

This bit of common sense is more important today than ever before, for two reasons. First: an unlocked window or door is the most attractive feature your house offers to a burglar or intruder. Second: although still a rare occurrence, home invasions are becoming more common - and an unlocked window or door represents the easiest entry point.

2. Install 'Charley Bars' on sliding patio doors or balcony doors.

A 'Charley Bar' is a metal bar that attaches to the frame of a patio or balcony doorway, and extends to the edge of the door that slides open. When in use, the bar simply locks flush against the sliding door and makes it virtually impossible to slide the door open. When not in use, the bar folds up against the frame and is almost invisible.

3. Spare Keys? Hide them, don't hang them in plain sight.

If you want your spare keys organized and easy to reach, hang them inside a closet or cupboard so they are not visible through a window.

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4. Don't leave a key under the mat, in a flowerpot, in your mailbox, or in the wheel wells of your car.

Many burglars "scout" neighbourhoods. They look for the quickest and quietest means of entry to a house - directly through a door. And if they spot someone reaching under a doormat or poking at a flowerpot before opening a door to a house, then that house becomes "attractive."

("Scouting" is common. Hundreds of millions of dollars are lost each year by telephone companies and their customers through fraudulent use of "Calling Card" numbers. Scouts watch pay phones through binoculars to identify a caller's confidential dialling sequence, and they even photograph cards using cameras with telephoto lenses.)

  5. Lock your garage, shed and gates.

More common sense! Make it difficult to access any building on your property. Make it a lot of work to enter your house. Make it dangerous to even try. Make your house unattractive to intruders. Make them look somewhere else!

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6. Never leave burglar tools within easy reach.

Ladders, screwdrivers, hammers, glasscutters, ropes, wrenches and pliers are burglar tools - in the hands of someone who knows how to use them for that purpose. Put your tools where you have easy access, but others don't; preferably locked away.

If you can, make a specific place for each tool. That way, you'll notice if one is missing. (A special note: Since you don't enter your home through second-floor windows, you might not secure them as well as others. They're good places for a burglar to enter. Keep your ladders out of reach!)

7. Install motion detector floodlights outside your home.

Remember, burglars want easy access and don't want to be seen. Lights can deter a burglar from even considering your home as a target.

A motion detector floodlight casts a broad beam of light onto an area of your property whenever it detects movement within its sensor area.

And the best ones can be programmed to turn on and off according to your pre-determined schedule. Great when you're on vacation.

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8. Install timers on your indoor lights.

Most home burglaries occur when the home is unoccupied. The reason is simple. Burglars prefer unoccupied dwellings - even those that are unoccupied for a short period of time.

Indoor lighting can be a giveaway that a home is unoccupied. If a home is left dark (or if the same lights are left on) for a period of time, it can signal a "safe" haven for intruders.

9. Move your stereo, video and computer equipment away from windows.

Such equipment is easy and quick to sell if stolen - and easy and quick to steal by merely breaking a window, reaching in and grabbing - even when you are at home!

10. Answering machine? Never leave a message saying you're away - even for a few hours.

You might tell the wrong person that you're not at home. An enterprising burglar can find the telephone numbers of homes in an area being "scouted", calling each one until an unoccupied home is identified.

  11. Install wide-angle peepholes.

Windowless doors should have peepholes installed in them. But ordinary peepholes show you only who's directly in front of the door. Wide-angle peepholes can show you if someone is hiding against the wall beside your door. Protect yourself against home invasions.

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  12. Install high-security deadbolt locks.

High-security deadbolts are different than ordinary locks. Most are pick-proof, drill-proof, and cannot be jimmied. Choose one with a bolt at least one inch long, and a brand that offers special keys that must be registered and cannot be duplicated by anyone other than the locksmith who installed the locks. You'll control the number of extra keys, and who will have possession of them.

  13. If you have a cellular phone, keep it at your bedside.

Your regular telephone line could be cut or interrupted during a break-in. In such an emergency, your cellular phone can be your link to your neighbours, family, and especially the police. And record some emergency numbers into your phone's memory so that you can make an emergency call quickly by pressing only one or two buttons.

14. Don't redirect your mail or stop newspaper delivery when you're on vacation.

Changes in regular patterns show that you're not home! The trick is to make your home look occupied even when you're away.

Ask a trusted neighbour or friend to pick up your mail, papers and flyers daily. Or use a bonded and insured housesitter from a professional agency.

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15. Keep your front and backyards clear of litter and debris.

An untended yard is a signal that you may not be home. Have your lawn and flowers tended in the summer, and have snow shovelled in winter. (In many municipalities, failure to shovel snow in front of your premises is an offense punishable by a fine.)

16. Don't leave the drapes drawn and blinds closed in every window.

It's easy to surmise that you're not home, especially if the drapes remain drawn for a few days. Have someone change the position of your window coverings while you're away, or vary the inside lighting by installing programmable light timers.

17. Always keep money, travellers' cheques, tickets and passports in a hotel safe or safety deposit box.

And always ask for a detailed receipt! You stand a much better chance of keeping your valuables intact and of receiving full value should a loss occur.

If you don't have access to a safe or safety deposit box, keep your valuables hidden inside a common, nondescript container where a thief will not think to look.

18. Take your cellular phone with you wherever you travel.

Keep it in your car when you're driving, at your bedside in your hotel, and in your pocket or purse when travelling on foot. And before you leave, take time to write emergency phone numbers (auto associations, hospitals, travel insurance hotlines) on a label, and attach the label to the phone for quick, easy reference.

19. Don't leave documents in your car that show your name or address.

Don't give an enterprising thief the slightest chance of knowing who you are, where you're from or where you're staying!

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20. Do the "common sense" things that make your car almost impossible to steal.

Keep your trunk locked all the time. Many late-model cars can be entered through the back seat via the trunk.

Don't leave a spare key in a wheel well or other 'cavity'. It's the first place to look! Use an alternative method. Some automobile associations offer spare keys that are punched out of plastic cards that you carry in your wallet. Give spare keys to one or more of your travelling companions. If you travel alone, carry two sets of keys with a car key on each set. You'll only use one set at a time, so a spare key will always be at hand.

Use an auto anti-theft device that locks the steering wheel and makes your car impossible to steer. It's a proven deterrent to car theft.

Never leave your car unlocked with the keys in the ignition - for even a few seconds! That's how long it takes to steal it!

The Housesitters would like to leave you with one more reminder whether you're at home, on vacation, or in your car:

Please take care.

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