24 Jul 2020
Posted by Barry Aldworth 
With a significant increase in people taking to the roads to staycation in Ireland, AA Ireland is warning homeowners to double-check how secure their home is before they travel.
According to an AA Home Insurance survey of over 5,000 people, over three quarters of us will avoid posting about our holidays on social media in order to avoid advertising that our homes will be empty. 73.49% of those surveyed stated that they were ‘very likely’ to avoid mentioning their holiday on social media out of fear of the information falling into the wrong hands, with a further 8.52% somewhat likely to keep their plans to themselves.
“The upcoming August weekend will see many of us travelling to locations both across Ireland and potentially to some countries on the government’s green list before the schools, hopefully, return later in the month. Given that you spend most of the year counting down the days until your holiday it’s understandable that people may want to share their plans with family and friends,” Conor Faughnan, AA Director of Consumer Affairs stated. “Unfortunately, however, once you post this kind of information online you lose control over where it could end up and, without knowing it, you could very easily be advertising the fact that your home is empty for a significant period of time to the wrong people.”
“When it comes to protecting your home, the less information potential intruders have about your habits or when the property is likely to be unattended the better. Similarly, if you are going away this weekend, it’s a great idea to do a review of how secure your home is before you leave or ask someone to keep an occasional eye on the property while you are away.”
As well as having a friend or neighbour check in on their property occasionally, the AA is also advising homeowners to check that their burglar alarm is fully functional and to ask someone to collect any letters or packages that may be left at their door while they are on holiday. According to the survey 65.91% of respondents were very likely to check that their burglar alarm is operating correctly before they depart, with 61.40% planning on having someone collect any items left at their door.
“A build-up of letters or parcels at the front door can be a dead giveaway that your home is empty, so it’s worth asking whoever will be checking in on your home while you are away to either move these into your home or take them somewhere safe until you return,” Faughnan added. “When you are away you want to ensure that it still appears that people are in and out of the property to reduce the chances of someone breaking-in. Unfortunately, you can never completely eliminate the risk, but by being security conscious before your leave you can at least reduce the likelihood of coming home to a nasty surprise.”
Looking to keep your home secure at an affordable price? With AA Home Insurance you can receive a 40% No Claims Discount and €60 off online.
