{"id":762533,"date":"2024-03-23T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-23T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=762533"},"modified":"2024-03-22T16:08:34","modified_gmt":"2024-03-22T14:08:34","slug":"easter-warning-for-homeowners-and-tenants-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/762533\/easter-warning-for-homeowners-and-tenants-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Easter warning for homeowners and tenants in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Property experts are reminding homeowners and tenants to take steps to protect their properties as crimes tend to spike over holiday periods such as Easter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Seeff Property Group noted that whether you are spending Easter at home or away, safeguarding your most valuable asset should be a priority. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With neighbourhoods often quieter, homes become more vulnerable, and statistics show a significant increase in break-ins during holiday periods.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Data from Auto &amp; General Insurance, for example, <strong>showed a 96% rise in Easter break-in claims in pre-Covid 2019 compared to a typical weekend.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the South African Police Service (SAPS)&#8217;s latest crime statistics, the country recorded 40,751 cases of home burglaries between October and December 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This works out to roughly 453 incidents a day. Meanwhile, the SAPS recorded 6,360 house robberies over the same period \u2013 or 71 every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-businesstech wp-block-embed-businesstech\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"nA4I3dKucv\"><a href=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/753413\/11-worst-areas-for-break-ins-and-home-robberies-in-south-africa\/\">11 worst areas for break-ins and home robberies in South Africa<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;11 worst areas for break-ins and home robberies in South Africa&#8221; &#8212; BusinessTech\" src=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/753413\/11-worst-areas-for-break-ins-and-home-robberies-in-south-africa\/embed\/#?secret=2vAXSfFPho#?secret=nA4I3dKucv\" data-secret=\"nA4I3dKucv\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Considering this, Seeff Property chairman Samuel Seeff provided tips to protect your home and add peace of mind to your holiday:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Inform your security company of the periods that you will be away and provide contact details for someone local.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Leave spare keys and contact details&nbsp;with a neighbour or friend. Include your security company and the details of relatives or friends who can be reached in your absence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Test your alarm system&nbsp;and perimeter security to ensure it is functioning correctly. Inform your security company of any issues.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Double-check&nbsp;that all windows and doors are locked, security gates are secured, and the alarm is armed before leaving, even for short periods.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Utilise light timers&nbsp;to switch on lights inside and outside your home, creating the illusion of occupancy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A CCTV system linked to your cell phone is one way to remotely monitor your home while you are away. These cameras can cover the interior and exterior.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Request a neighbour to collect mail and pamphlets&nbsp;to avoid a build-up that indicates an empty house.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Arrange for pet care&nbsp;by hiring a house sitter or pet sitter if you are not using a kennel service. A house sitter can maintain the property and prepare it for your return.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Review your insurance policies to confirm they are up-to-date and offer comprehensive coverage for your home and belongings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Maintain a tidy exterior by arranging for the lawn to be mowed during extended absences to avoid any appearance of vacancy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Trim overgrown bushes and trees&nbsp;to eliminate potential hiding places for intruders. Remove items such as bins or ladders which can provide access to the property.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Secure valuables and important documents&nbsp;at home. Back up any important work and store laptops and valuable electronics out of sight in a safe place.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Park vehicles inside a garage or enclosed area&nbsp;to deter potential thieves. Do not leave items such as bicycles around the yard.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Keep a list of important contact numbers readily available, and consider installing emergency response apps on your phone for quick response in case of an incident.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ensure the identity of anyone calling the house is verified, including anyone from the local municipality or other service providers, including fibre installers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/761747\/what-it-costs-to-drive-to-south-africas-popular-holiday-destinations-this-easter-petrol-and-tolls-2\/\">What it costs to drive to South Africa\u2019s popular holiday destinations this Easter \u2013 petrol and tolls<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Property experts have sent a warning to homeowners and tenants looking to travel over the Easter long-weekend. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":732381,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9876],"tags":[11073,853],"class_list":["post-762533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-seeff-properties","tag-south-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/762533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=762533"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/762533\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":762725,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/762533\/revisions\/762725"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/732381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=762533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=762533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=762533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}