Don't advertise your home to thieves when you go on holiday

Simon Lamble, product director for Confused.com - price comparison service - advises holidaymakers not to become lax this summer with their home security:

Inform neighbours or local friends and family of your holiday dates: this will encourage them to be vigilant while you are away. It is always worth asking neighbours to make sure that your correspondence is posted inside your house, rather than left to build up in a porch, for example. Remember to also stop newspaper and milk deliveries, while you are away.

Give spare keys to a trusted neighbour or friend: hiding keys under the doormat, or in a flower pot, is not a good idea at the best of times. Make sure that you leave spare keys in a safe place, such as with a trusted neighbour.

Luggage labelling: never put your full name and address on your luggage when you are travelling - a name and postcode is sufficient.

Invest in a burglar alarm: if you would rather not spend money on a burglar alarm, think about purchasing a much cheaper empty burglar alarm box. Deterrents are a must when you go on holiday.

Avoid advertising your holiday on Facebook: changing your status to ‘My two week's in Ibiza start tomorrow' is not sensible, as your profile - including your home address - can be viewed by anyone in your network, unless you change your security settings. It is important to be vigilant when posting personal information on the web.

Avoid descriptive answer-phone messages: leaving messages such as ‘You've reached the Wilsons - we're away skiing for the Christmas holidays, but please leave a message after the tone' is best avoided. Lowering the sound of your telephone ring so that it cannot be heard outside the house is also a good measure to take.

Check your house or contents insurance policies: some policies may be invalidated if a property is left empty for a prolonged period of time. Before leaving to go on a lengthy holiday, it is wise to check the terms of the policy to make sure that the level of cover is sufficient. If there is any doubt, the insurance company should be contacted; it may be that extra cover can be arranged or that there are some additional security requirements which can be implemented so that the policy will be valid while the property is empty.