House swaps: How to deal with security worries
Monday, 23 January 2012 10:24 AM
By Dr Steffan George
As the economic climate forces us to look at alternative holiday arrangements, the popularity of home exchange is growing by 15 per cent each year.
The concept of swapping houses with a likeminded family or individual is fast becoming the trend for many looking to save costs on their holiday.
It is estimated that 1.6 million people took part in a house swap last year, enjoying a holiday in a new area, often abroad, relishing the opportunity to become a temporary ‘local’ whilst saving on hotel fees or expensive accommodation.
However one thing many people worry about as part of the process is security.
Here are a few tips on how to make sure you can carry out a home exchange safely and ensure the long term security of your home is not compromised:
- A home exchange will involve giving the key to your house and all of its contents to your exchange partner. Over the course of the holiday you want to be sure that the guest in your home is not making copies of your keys, providing themselves with unwarranted access in the future. Investment in a patented key system may be a wise move to prevent this threat. Patented keys carry legal protection, preventing their duplication without proof of ownership, ensuring you know exactly how many keys are in circulation and exactly who has access to your home.
- It’s advisable to put your guests in touch with a neighbour, friend, or family member. Not only does this give those close to you the chance to check up on your behalf, it presents them with the opportunity to run through any ground rules you may want to enforce.
- It would be wise to lock away any valuable items that are easily stolen or broken. Whilst many insurers will cover house exchange programmes (providing they are informed beforehand), they may not cover thefts that show no signs of forced entry, a problem when you are essentially giving a stranger access to your home. For this reason, it may be a good idea to invest in a safe, properly fitted and specified by an expert from the MLA. A safe will allow you to store valuable items such as jewellery, secure in the knowledge they’ll still be there when you return.
- If you own an alarm system, be sure to change the codes once the exchange is over to prevent your ‘guests’ returning uninvited in the future.
- Be sure to be careful with key exchanges, try to do this either in person or through someone you can trust, such as a family member to ensure all keys are returned and secure ready for your return.
- Always be sure to use a reputable company to arrange your home exchange and ensure you are 100 per cent happy with all arrangements before agreeing to the swap. If you voluntarily let an unsavoury character into your home, there may be little you can do to prevent damage or theft to your property.
Dr Steffan George, is development director of the Master Locksmith’s Association (MLA), the UK’s premier locksmithing trade association.
