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Of all the months from late spring to early fall, August seems to be a burglar's favorite month because that is the month when most people tend to take a vacation.  Burglars know that homeowners many times leave their homes unprotected at vacation time. Even so, according to experts, taking basic precautions is all that is necessary to prevent most burglaries.  The Insurance Information Institute (III) advises that light, time and noise are the homeowner’s greatest weapons against home invasion by burglars.  According to the FBI, more home burglaries occur in June, July and August than in any other months of the year with August being the heaviest month. Here are some common sense precautions to consider if you will be leaving your home unattended.

• Do not publicly announce your travel plans in advance. Wait until you return to share your vacation stories and pictures with your social media friends.
• Ask someone you trust for simple favors such as: putting your garbage out, collecting your mail, clearing away any flyers and packages left around your door.
• Notify a trusted neighbor of your travel plans, including your date of departure and return and ask them to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.
• Never hide a key. Instead, give it to the trusted person you have checking your home.
• Properly close and lock all windows and doors – including your garage.
• Leave curtains slightly parted so your home doesn’t look empty, but be sure valuables inside your home are stored out of sight from your windows.
• Be sure that your answering machine message does not betray you. Your message should say, “Sorry we can't come to the phone" instead of “We are away until next week”.
• Put a temporary stop on the delivery of mail and newspaper if there is no one who can collect them in your absence.
• Mark your valuables and create a home inventory either by making a list or taking pictures. Store it along with other important documents in a security box somewhere other than your home.

Typically, a burglar willl go on to the next house if they cannot break in within 4-5 minutes, according to the III. Most insurance companies provide discounts for devices that make a home safer such as window grates, bars and smoke/fire/burglar alarms, dead-bolt locks -- all designed to make it more difficult to gain entrance to your house.

Consider contacting your insurance agetn before taking that long-awaited vacation, to get further suggestions and to find out just how well your home is covered against burglaries and theft of your valuables.

Here at the Community Insurance Services of Maryland, LLC, we always welcome your questions, and we are glad to help you review your current insurance policies anytime. So please contact us at your convenience.