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Student life

Protecting your student home on holiday


Last updated: 16/10/20

Heading home for the holidays but worried that your student accommodation is going to be left vulnerable while you’re away? Don’t worry, we’ve put together some useful tips to help keep your student home safe whilst it’s unoccupied:

1. Make it look like someone’s home

One of the key things you can do before you go on holiday is make sure your home looks occupied before you leave. Ultimately, if a thief can’t figure out whether or not you’re home, they’re unlikely to risk trying to break in. There are many ways to achieve this, such as leaving a light on in a corridor or front-facing room. You can also leave the curtains open to add to the effect.

If you’re planning on leaving the curtains open to deter thieves, make sure any belongings or gadgets that you leave behind are hidden safely out of sight. Alternatively, take all of your valuables with you to negate the need to hide them!

2. Cancel any regular deliveries

There’s no bigger giveaway that there’s nobody home than a pile up of post and five bottles of milk at the front door. Make sure to cancel any scheduled deliveries while you’re away, or arrange to have them delivered elsewhere. If you’re going to be away for more than a few days, try to arrange for a friend or neighbour to collect it for you while you’re on holiday.

3. Don’t advertise your absence

It can be very tempting to splash every detail of our travels all over social media – that’s what an Instagram feed is for, after all.

However, it’s always a good idea to think of the consequences of your words before you post, especially when it comes to stating when your home will be unoccupied. By announcing on Facebook when you’ll be away over the summer, this also publicises to the world when your home will be sitting empty.

4. Have yourself a feast

It’s probably a good idea to polish off any food that’s left in the fridge before you go away on holiday – otherwise you’ll come back to rotting vegetables and fluffy plates.

Avoid the faint smell of sour milk upon your return home by eating all any remaining fruit, vegetables and perishables before you travel. That being said, make sure there’s something ready and waiting to snack on when you get back!

5. Do some final checks

When you’re doing your final checks before you travel, make sure all of your electrical appliances and gadgets are unplugged and switched off at the wall. Not only will it save you money and energy while you’re away, but it’ll also reduce the risk of power surges.

It’s worth spending ten minutes before you leave making sure all the windows and doors are locked up tight in your property. Even if the top bedroom window is slightly ajar, it’s not worth the risk of a burglary - especially if you’re planning on leaving a few curtains open.

And one other thing…

Living in university accommodation this year? Your accommodation provider may also have arranged some contents insurance inside your room with Endsleigh. You can check what's covered by entering your accommodation provider or HH reference number here.

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