Keeping your student accommodation secure over Christmas

Tips to protect your student house

The Christmas countdown is on! You’ve survived the first term & you’re starting to think about heading home for Christmas. But before you pack up and say your goodbyes, there are a few things to check to ensure that your student property is protected whilst you are gone.  Student houses are more vulnerable than most, and an empty one even more so!

Look after your gadgets

Laptops, tablets, mobiles, TV’s, Kindles – all the best gadgets that make students a target of thieves. Taking your valuables home with you is the best way to ensure these stay safe. For the items that you need to leave behind, make sure they are out of sight and locked away. Also, ensure that all of your devices are locked with passwords to keep all your private details secure.

Leave your heating on to avoid pipe bursts

If your heating is left off whilst you are away there is a risk that water pipes could freeze and burst in the cold weather, leaving your student house flooded. Therefore it is recommended that you leave your heating on during the duration that you are away. To minimise energy costs, you can set heating on a low timer.

Lock up securely

Locking up your student pad securely before you leave is extremely important! Make sure that all windows and doors are closed and securely locked. Take out any window keys and store them away safely, and check that garden gates are also locked. Before you leave, it’s a good idea to do a final check around the whole house or flat to ensure all taps are off and electrical equipment that doesn’t need to be on is unplugged.

Keep it on the down low

Make sure you don’t announce on social media when you are leaving your student property. This could make you an easy target to thieves who could find out where you live.

Give it a clean

There is nothing worse than returning from a lovely Christmas break to find leftover food and bags of rubbish left rotting away. So before you go, empty the fridge and collect all the rubbish and put out the bins ready for collection. While you’re at it, take the Christmas decs down!

Here’s some key info for Coventry students over the Christmas period:

Coventry University end of term date 16th December 2016

Coventry City Council bin collection timetable 

National Express Coventry timetable