For more and more people, converting their home or investment property into a holiday home has become a pragmatic choice. The growth of Airbnb, the global vacation rental company, has inspired many people to enter the travel business in their own small way – gaining the advantages of extra revenue, and the enjoyment of facilitating other people’s travels.
Contrary to appearances, however, renting out your property isn’t as simple as listing it and waiting for visitors to arrive. As many people running Airbnbs and holiday rentals have discovered, there are a plethora of practical considerations to take into account – one of the most important of which is how you secure your personal items and valuables.
In this context, implementing a robust home CCTV security system becomes an essential aspect of safeguarding your space. A reliable surveillance system not only acts as a deterrent to potential intruders but also offers peace of mind for property owners.
For those venturing into the holiday rental business, exploring advanced security solutions, such as those offered by Fortknox Security Adelaide, can provide a tailored approach to property protection. With cutting-edge technology and comprehensive services, Fortknox Security offers a seamless integration of home CCTV security, allowing hosts to focus on the joys of hospitality while ensuring the safety of their cherished belongings.
Things to Consider When Securing Your Valuables
Every home is full of sensitive and valuable personal possessions, and even simple intimate items such as shavers and photo albums. If you are renting out your own home, you will need to think carefully about how you protect both your privacy and belongings when you open your doors to holiday guests. But even if your holiday rental is an investment property, it’s still likely that you’ll need to secure valuables.
Knowing that important documents, family treasures and sentimental items are safely secured will ensure their preservation, but it will also give you peace of mind – making it well-worth investing time and money into keeping your valuables safe.
Some Helpful Quick Tips For Protecting Your Privacy
When you are welcoming guests into your home (or a property you own), your first thought should be to protect your privacy as an individual. To ensure this happens, there are three simple ways you can make sure your guests don’t inadvertently stumble upon anything that you wouldn’t want them to:
1. Redirect your post:
If your banking correspondence or other important communications aren’t yet fully paperless (and you will not be present in the property with your guests), make sure to redirect your mail, or arrange for it to be collected by a neighbour.
2. Make sure your guests are well catered for:
The best way to keep guests out of your cupboards or rifling through drawers is to ensure that everything they need is obvious and to hand. Common household items such as hairdryers, tissues, soap and irons are best left in easy-to-see places, so people do not feel the need to search for them.
3. Lock certain drawers and cupboards:
Getting a good lock for the cupboards and drawers where you store your more important belongings may be necessary, if only to send the message that “this area is off-limits” (a message that the vast majority of people will understand and adhere to!). Plastic zip ties are also an inexpensive way to keep doors and drawers closed in a way which communicates to your guests that you’d rather they not be opened – just bear in mind that they can be cut off with scissors, so act more as a deterrent than effective security.
Securing Valuables Within the Home
For certain items, you may be interested in obtaining a greater degree of security in order to protect them. While your guests will almost always be well-meaning, mistakes can happen, and small children in particular may take or break items without even meaning to. In this case, it might be worth considering a personal safe to store your belongings in – an initial investment which may ultimately save you a far greater expense in the long run.
Securing Valuables Outside the Home With Security Deposit Boxes
Without a doubt, the most secure option available to people renting out their property as an Airbnb or other holiday vacation home is to store their possessions off-site. Security deposit boxes, located in guarded vaults and monitored by high-tech security systems and 24/7 CCTV, are the safest way to store cherished, meaningful or serious items that you would feel better keeping away from guests.
Walking around your home and trying to see it through the eyes of a guest will help you identify items that are worth storing in a safe deposit box, whether these are antiques, heirlooms, electronic goods or passports. While renting out your property as a holiday home can be hugely worthwhile and rewarding, taking care to protect your privacy and valuables is vital to ensure that you never end up losing something that matters to you.
This article was written by St. James’ Safe Deposit, secure storage professionals who offer high security safe deposit boxes in Manchester and Leeds.