Several times I have shared tips on how to keep you and your RV safe from criminals while on the road and in the boondocks. As I shared, statistically, you are very unlikely to have an issue while RVing.
Unless you are a full-time RVer, the next concern is how safe is your home while you are out on the road RVing? Here are 12 things you can do to make your home less attractive to burglars while you are away.
1. Have someone house sit in your absence.
2. Let a trusted neighbor know when you will be gone and ask them to keep an eye on your home, pick up newspapers or other delivered items, and maybe mow your lawn to give it an occupied look.
3. Stop your mail, newspaper, and anything else that might pile up in your absence.
4. Set lights on timers to mimic your normal routine.
5. Install exterior motion lights that will activate when motion is detected.
6. If your local law enforcement offers a vacation home check, take advantage of it.
7. Install a wireless motion sensor on the exterior of your home that will activate any 120-volt item within your home when motion is detected. It can be hooked up to turn on a TV, radio, lamp, etc. in your house to make it appear someone is home when a burglar approaches.
8. Install annunciators around the exterior of your house (driveway, walkways, undercover areas, or other areas burglars are likely to pass by when casing your home). The audible sound will let them know they have been detected and hopefully convince them to leave. After all, if they can hear it, the neighbors probably can too.
9. Wireless cameras and doorbells like the Ring can send an alert to your smartphone when motion or noise is detected in or around your home. Be sure to know the non-911 number for the law enforcement agency in your hometown as calling 911 when you are a hundred miles from home isn’t the most efficient way of dispatching law enforcement to your house.
10. If you don’t want to be bothered by alerts to your smartphone at 2:00 in the morning when small mammals enter your yard, you might consider displaying fake cameras on the exterior of your home as a deterrent rather than the real thing.
11. Bar your doors and windows to make it more difficult for a burglar to gain access to your home.
12. Install deep-throw deadbolts and reinforced strike plates on all entry doors to make your doors harder to force open.
By implementing some of these items, you will make your home less attractive to potential burglars. Enjoying peace of mind that your home is safe in your absence, just another adventure in RVing.
I saw a tip 0n using a fake tv so I ordered one online. It plugs into a timer. The device is small. You can hold it in one hand.
My wife’s sewing room faces out to the carport and her curtain there is not too thick to allow the light from the device to go out. I had it set for 3 a.m. because that’s when this trespasser had come around before. One night the surveillance cam showed him walking up the carport between the cars. Just then it showed the fake tv switch on thru the curtain. The guy saw
it and did a quick about face and left . It worked and faked out one perp, at least. I put my pistol away and called the police. They never found him but at least let them know who’s operating in the area. BTW I follow some of the tips in the article and plan to implement a couple more. Very practical article.
If you do well checks on your home by the police this keeps the street you live on very safe. No one will consider breaking into your home because the neighbors will wonder why the police are on the block. Otherwise there are the video doorbells that really keep watch.
Very good points! And although this might be too obvious….wait to post your travel photos to facebook once you return! And don’t share your travel plans on social media ahead of time either. One more – not so much for ‘safety’ but for peace of mind. If you have a well/pump, shut the pump off (and the water heater) before you leave. At the very least, turn off the faucets to your washer. …could save you having a flood while you are away.