Many of our students go home during the holidays; others spend the day out with friends and some travel around the country trying to see everyone before midnight. Whatever you are up to this year, if you’re going to be out of your house or halls, please follow these security guidelines to make sure your belongings stay safe:
Check your contents insurance
Contents insurance does exactly what it says; it insures the contents of your flat. Whether your belongings are affected by damage caused by a water leak, or a break-in and theft, your insurance provider is one of the first people who can help. Don’t just rely on having insurance though. Be sure to check your policy as many cover theft but not damage, or vice versa.
Protect your valuables
As well as loading your suitcases with Christmas presents, remember to take valuable items such as laptops, phones and cameras home too. If the worst was to happen and someone did get into your room, at least you’ve minimised the damage by taking the most expensive items. It’s also well worth buying a UV pen (or getting one from the protection service!) and writing your address (or ‘Coventry University’) and student number on your belongings, to help them get back to you.
Lock up behind you!
It sounds simple, but it’s easy to forget in the panic of Christmas travel. Lock your windows and, if possible, your cupboards too. Don’t leave items visible from your windows and doors. If you have one, set your burglar alarm and be sure the door is locked behind you. There’s nothing worse than that feeling you’ve forgotten to do it. Also remember to let your landlord know if you’re away, they can then keep an eye on your house. If you trust your neighbours, and only with the landlords consent, give them the landlords number in case they spot something.
Timers are your friends
A simple and cheap trick to help your home stay safe when it’s empty is to make it look like it’s not empty! Use timers for your lamps so they will automatically click on in the evening, making it look like someone is in. Don’t advertise your empty house on social media!
Weather woes
Luckily Coventry is high up, so we rarely see flooding here, but we do still suffer when it comes to low temperatures. If your heating has a timer function, use it to make sure your room (or more importantly, the pipes) get at least some low heat during each day. This will help prevent your water pipes from freezing over, and then thawing too fast and flooding the room.
Keep it clean
Please, please, PLEASE remember to clean up before you leave, especially in the kitchen. Take out the rubbish, wipe down the surfaces and empty the fridge. You’ll thank us when you return home and find your place doesn’t stink and you don’t have some kind of new organism growing in your tableware. Trust us, it happens.
Finally, put these numbers in your phone:
In an emergency on campus or in Coventry University accommodation call 024 7688 8555 to summon the University’s Protection Service.
For emergencies in private accommodation or off-campus call the Police on 999. For other incidents such as thefts call the Police on 024 7765 5555.
