Expats who leave the UK for larger periods of time often worry about the home they may leave behind, as burglars are known to target empty properties.
However, recent findings by the insurance company Hiscox have shown that these expats are using ingenious, and often bizarre, deterrent tactics to repel burglaries and intruders.
Andrew Cheney, Senior Risk and Valuation Advisor at Hiscox UK visited hundreds of homes for research and found that people were using unorthodox methods such as sewing valuables into curtains, burying valuables in gardens and even creating decoy doors for burglars to try and open.
Other out-of-the-box deterrents included scattering fake jewellery for burglars to easily find, making the house seem occupied by leaving laundry out to dry, and in some cases making the home look like an undesirable target by messing up the front of the house.
However some experts have suggested that such leftfield tactics may not be the best way to go. Home security guru Robert Siciliano said: “Creativity when hiding valuables can be better than simply leaving items in known places such as jewellery boxes or sock and underwear draws, but these strategies can backfire too, such as forgetting where you’ve put stuff. Also, if the burglar doesn't find what they are looking for in common places, they may do more damage vandalising than your hidden items are worth.”