What To Do Before You Leave for the Weekend

Don't be a victim! College students and college housing are the perfect targets for burglaries and property damage, primarily because we travel a lot on weekends. Think about it, away football games, going home, spring break, Mardi Gras, away formal weekends, pulling all-nighters in the library. When it all comes down to it, we are gone a lot of the time! Before you lock up for your next adventure follow this quick checklist to ensure your house and valuables are safe.

1. Clean up outside.

This is an important and often overlooked step. Bring trash bins in from the street to ensure they won't be hit or stolen, dispose of trash that might attract pests to your residence, pick up any trash left in your yard. Not only does this make your house look better, it lessens the chance of a bug or animal infestation

2. Close all windows blinds.

If burglars can't see in, they can't target something to steal. Closing your blinds is crucial to ensure your privacy, keep your valuables and domestic life safe. No one likes a peeping tom.

3. Set your alarm and lock your door.

This is kind of a "duh" step but still very important. Having an alarm system in place can help with your safety in two ways: the loud siren attracts attention and potentially scares off the perpetrator, but it also can alert the police.

4. Lock vehicles left in the driveway.

Car thefts are just as bad at home burglaries in many cases, laptop computers, whole backpacks, stereo systems and anything else left your car can be gone in an instant. Whosever car you end up taking, be sure to lock the others left behind before you head out.

5. During winter months, leave the heating system on and at a good temperature.

Doing this will help prevent the pipes from freezing and being out of hot water upon your return. There is nothing better than coming home from a wild weekend and showering, don't be in the sticky situation when there is no hot water because the temperature wasn't set above 60 degrees.

6. Extra Step: Let the police know you will be out of town.

This can seem a little impractical for college students to contact police, but if you do live in a college town, the local police usually know when a big weekend is coming up and do their best to look out for the student's residence in their absence. For example, Georgia/Florida weekend is a famous weekend when Athens becomes a ghost town, cops and local police do their best to double their patrols during that time.