Simple Tips To Safeguard Your Capitola-Soquel Home Before Heading On Vacation

Summer is the perfect time to go on vacation, but it’s important to secure your home before doing so.

Amica Insurance is sharing with Patch readers some tips from the Insurance Information Institute to help deter burglars from breaking and entering.

According to the organization experts, if it takes more than four for five minutes to gain access to a home, burglars will typically go elsewhere.

So the top tips to prevent burglaries:

• Leave blinds open in their usual position.

• Have mail picked up or held by the post office.

• Turn down the volume of the telephone ringer and answering machine so they can’t be heard outside.

• Have the lawn mowed so the home doesn’t look unattended.

• Use automatic timers for lights, and even consider connecting a radio to a timer.

• Notify police and neighbors that you’ll be travelling so they can keep a close eye on your home. Many cities’ police departments offer vacation checks for residents. Check with your local law enforcement agency.