Summer holidays: before leaving, secure your accommodation with these 4 essential reflexes

Holidays in sight? Remember to secure your home before leaving! A few simple gestures are enough to avoid unpleasant surprises: water, electricity, safety … Adopt the right reflexes to leave your mind and calmly enjoy your summer.

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Whether you leave in July, in August or outside of conventional periods, certain precautions remain essential before go on summer vacation. In a recent note, the “Furets” constrained expenditure comparator recalls the right reflexes to adopt to secure your accommodation during your absence. These recommendations are therefore aimed at all those who will leave their accommodation during the summer period.

Cut the water and limit the risk of damage

No one wants to set foot in the water … at home! Cutting the water supply remains one of the first recommended reflexes. This common sense gesture makes it possible to avoid unpleasant surprises when you return, such as a leak or a water damage. Another advantage of this cut: it also helps to reduce the consumption of energy linked to hot water!

It is therefore advisable to cut the water heater to avoid any unnecessary consumption. Disconnect your electrical devices (multipleisms, internet boxes, television, etc.) must also be on your to-do list. On the other hand, avoid disconnecting essential equipment such as freezer or alarm. Same thing for your boiler or heat pump: it is better to pass them in “summer mode”.

Burglaries: Adopt the right gestures to dissuade intruders

Last year, the number of burglaries was very high in France, with 3.3 offenses identified for 1,000 dwellings, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), which is based on SSMSI data, municipal statistical bases of delinquency recorded by the police and the gendarmerie in 2024. The most affected areas are located in Île-de-France, in the North, along the Rhône Valley, around the Mediterranean, as in Loire-Atlantique and in Gironde. In the French overseas departments, Guyana displays a particularly alarming rate, with 10.5 burglaries for 1,000 homes.

The summer period being conducive to burglaries, it is essential to adopt some Simple gestures before going on vacation to strengthen the safety of your accommodation. These are common sense reflexes. First, make sure you have closed all the windows, doors and shutters of your home. Also avoid mentioning your starting dates on social networks, which could attract the attention of ill -intentioned people. Finally, the installation of a monitoring device (camera, alarm, etc.) constitutes a real deterrent asset.

Notify the police with the tranquility vacation operation

Also note that the police or the gendarmerie can directly patrol directly in front of your home. Thanks to the online service Holiday tranquility operation (OTV), individuals can report their prolonged absence and request supervision from their home. Once this step has been made, patrols are organized day and night, in order to prevent burglaries and strengthen the safety of unoccupied housing. The steps are to be taken online Or directly in the gendarmerie or the police station, depending on your residence area.

One last point before departure: is your insurance up to date?

Before completing the suitcases, check the guarantees of your home insurance contract, in particular against theft and water damage. Also make sure that the value of your goods is well updated. Civil liability, often included, covers damage caused to others, even on vacation. Then make way for leave in peace!