5 Tips for Keeping Your Home Safe This Halloween

For home owners, trick-or-treaters aren’t the only spooky things that come with Halloween. While you’re handing out goodies and enjoying the costumes you’ll want to have a good time and not worry about your home becoming a liability. Take some precautions to make your home safe during a party or when little ghouls and witches come calling.

1. Clear Things Up

Remove obstacles that could trip up your excited visitors. Make sure holiday decorations, and anything else like gardening hoses and toys, are well away from where kids will walk. Clear off the walkway and porch to help avoid accidents.

2. Secure the Pets

The last thing you want is to have an over-excited pooch nip or bark at trick-or-treaters, so confine your pets. You’ll keep everyone safe and make your cat or dog feel more secure.

3. Let the Light Shine

It might be fun to spook-up the front of your home by turning off the lights to get full effect from your jack-o’-lanterns, but a darkened home and porch can help avoid injuries. So turn on the lights.

4. Nix the Candles

Open flames pose a risk to you and your home, both indoors and out. Instead, use LED lights or flameless candles. You can purchase battery powered jack-o’-lanterns at novelty, home supply and many other stores.

5. Make Your Home Secure

If you are going to be away for any stretch of time on Halloween, leave your house well-lit to deter burglars. Check your home security alarm if you have one; if you don’t, a security system can give you peace of mind and might even help lower your homeowners insurance.

Talk with your insurance agent to make sure you have adequate homeowners insurance coverage. If you need a refresher about what homeowners and renters insurance can cover, learn more here.