Halloween is such a fun and celebratory time of year! It’s easy to get carried away decorating your home and your lawn for a party or for cute little trick-or-treaters. Unfortunately, all the excitement and hubbub surrounding the spooky season can come at a price, and it’s important to pay attention to Halloween home safety.
While most ghouls, goblins, and things that go bump in the night are completely harmless, there’s a higher occurrence of an accident on your property when more people are around. In addition, some folks get a little carried away and take advantage of the fact that homeowners are busy on Halloween night, helping themselves to treats that don’t belong to them — your belongings. In fact, these types of crimes increase by 50% during Halloween.
If you’re gearing up for the most haunted time of the year and you want to keep your home, and your guests are as safe as possible, these tips can help you sail smoothly into Thanksgiving and Christmas by keeping your home safe.
- Keep Things Bright
Keeping things merry and bright might sound more like a Christmas thing, but it’s also a vital element in your home’s Halloween safety. It’s tempting to make things dark and scary, but it also creates the perfect lighting for someone to trip over your sidewalk and force you to file an insurance claim. If you want to make your home as unappealing to burglars, and as safe as possible for your guests, keep things well-lit.
- Secure Your Pets
Even if your fluffy puppy makes a great superhero, Halloween is still a stressful time for any kind of pet. Regardless of whether you have the sweetest dog on the block, the masks, noise, and general mayhem surrounding Halloween is often unnerving. For your guests’ safety, it’s a better idea to let your pet observe by a window away from the doorway and in a secure room.
- Keep Pathways Clear
Nothing can ruin Halloween like a scraped knee or a sprained ankle. Should your walkways and sidewalks have any sort of leaf debris, sweep it away before the costumed mob comes searching for candy. Then, no one can have a slip and fall that results in your home insurance paying the bill.
- Carefully Monitor Your Security System
Having your security system armed while Halloween party goers come and leave can set off a false alarm, but not having it armed leaves you a little more vulnerable. For your own Halloween home safety, experts recommend turning your alarm off while there are lots of people around and back on again once the crowd dies down.
- Opt For Alternatives to Candles
Of course, there’s nothing that says Halloween more than having a jack-o-lantern glowing brightly with a candle inside. However, it’s probably not the safest idea for your Halloween security. With the influx of trick-or-treaters coming to your door, it’s all too easy for a candle to get knocked over. Since fall leaves are so dry, it could lead to catastrophe. Instead, opt for fire-safe lighting like small LEDs.
- Put Out a Security Badge
If you’re using a security system, even one you installed yourself, it’s a great idea to let the world know you have one at Halloween. Place any banners, plaques, or stickers you may have from your security company in visible places. It makes sure that any nefarious individual knows what they’re dealing with.
- Park In Your Garage
On any given night, it’s much more secure to park your car in the garage. On Halloween, it’s a must. Because you’ll have so much foot traffic, placing your vehicle in the garage can cut down on any accidental scratches by Halloween fanatics and temptations for less scrupulous individuals.
- Tidy Up Your Projects
Much the same way that slippery leaves or wayward branches could cause a slip and fall, leaving home improvement projects out in the open poses a big problem. Not only can your Halloween guest stumble and fall over them, but these materials are a major draw for thieves. Don’t let the world know how much money you’re pouring into your home by advertising it on your property.
- Document Before and After
It might sound silly, but photographing your property before and after a Halloween event is always a good idea. Should you experience any property damage, your insurance will need proof. By the same token, photos will prove valuable if someone filing a claim serves you with a surprise.
- Playfulness Takes Center Stage
Let’s face it; there’s no better time than Halloween to let your dark, spooky side out. When it comes to your decorations, you might want to rethink things a little. Scary decorations tend to bring out boisterous behavior. For the sake of Halloween home safety, it’s better to take a playful approach. Then, you’ll see smiles rather than unpredictable reactions.
When you follow these tips for Halloween home safety, you’ll have a safe and confident holiday. As long as you stay alert and report anything strange, the combination can help you stay unbothered by the chaos that can come with fall’s most-loved season.
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