When it comes to setting off for a holiday, you’re expected to feel a wide range of emotions, anything from sheer excitement to mild-guilt about leaving the family pooch with some chums, but the one thing you shouldn’t be concerning yourself with is worrying about your unoccupied home.

Well, with our five easy ways to protect your home, you can set off for the sun and sand without a backward glance.

1: Use A House-Sitting Service

If you want to have absolute peace of mind when you're sunning it up in Ibiza, then nothing quite beats having an actual human presence in your home.  The joy of using a house-sitting service of course is not only do you have peace of mind that you’ve got someone in your home you’ve chosen yourself, but you also need not bother friends and family yet again when you go off on your jollies.

A great example of this service is MindMyHouse, whose sitters can not only mind your home, but your pets too! They’ve been providing a global service since 2005 and are an excellent way for people going on holiday to enjoy their break worry free.

2: Give The Illusion You’re Still Home

It never hurt to have a few precautions in place and when it comes to leaving your home unattended for a while, and a few simple tricks can really help make your home look more occupied and less of a target.

Lights that are set on a timer are particularly good at giving your home a ‘lived-in’ vibe, while ensuring your post isn’t clogging up your letter box also helps massively. Having a neighbour look in for you and pick up the post is a great idea, but if not you will also find that the Royal Mail provide services to hold back your mail for a time to prevent it piling up at your door.

It’s also worth having someone use your driveway for their car in your absence too as this can add to the illusion that your home is still up and running as normal.

3: Keep It Quiet

We live in an era where everything from what we had for breakfast to what our dog did in the garden is up for a social media broadcast, and while these posts are usually harmless, they can sometimes act like a thief’s handbook.

We know, it’s unlikely, but prevention is always easier than the cure and you can always post to your heart’s content once you're home.

4: Don’t Forget The Basics

In reality, the biggest threat to your home when you’re away is not so much people breaking in but being the victim of a burst water pipe or fire damage. If you can, having a neighbour or a family member with a spare key can be great peace of mind and means you have someone who can check in regularly.

Similarly, unplugging all unnecessary devices and making sure you haven’t left anything on which is likely to flood is of course, basic, and can save you a lot of hassle in the long run. For anyone with teenage children, triple check they have unplugged any heated hair devices too as these are notoriously easy to forget about with dire consequences.

 It’s also very important to double check windows and doors, as it’s easier than you think to leave the house and forget the spare bedroom window was left wide open or that the back door has the key in it but was never actually locked.

It’s also a good idea to check your home insurance is up to date and that you meet all the ‘reasonable care’ criteria of your policy.

5: Don’t Make It Easy

We all have that one family member who likes to hide a key under the plant pot. Don’t. The ‘secret’ plant-pot key is now a trope as common as mice liking cheese or bread always landing butter side down.

Having keys in easy reach is not only making it easy for wrong-uns to gain entry, it’s also potentially in breach of your home insurance policy, so whatever you do, do not leave keys within easy reach. If you want a key to be easily accessible, use a key safe or leave one with a neighbour.

And there we have it, some easy ways to make your home safe and sound, leaving you to relax without worrying you've left the stove on.