subject: How to Protect Your Home Security During a Party [print this page] How to Protect Your Home Security During a Party
When you are planning a party, one of the last things on your mind is probably home security. You have so many other things to obsess and worry about! You need to make sure that your guest list is comprehensive and that you will not offend anyone by omitting or overlooking them. You have to make sure that enough people will show up in order to make it fun! Of course you have to think about the food, the alcohol, the furniture. Who has time to think about something as random as home security? Are your friends really going to rob your house while they are enjoying the party? Probably not, but home security includes a lot of other things besides protecting yourself from simple thievery.
The first thing you want to consider is the fact that people could accidentally break things, due to a number of reasons, ranging from simple accidents to imbibing a bit too much alcohol. If you have any valuable, breakable items in the areas that you will be inviting guests, you might want to consider removing them into an off-limits room, like the master bedroom. This would include vases, glassware, ceramic figurines you purchased while traveling, cherished picture frames, antique lamps, etc. You would rather be safe than sorry, as the old expression goes, right?
The next thing you want to consider is whether or not you feel comfortable leaving the front door unlocked, or whether it might make more sense to keep it locked and answer the door every time the bell rings. This will depend on your neighborhood, and also how many guests you have invited. If it is a small dinner party, then it should not be too much of a hassle to answer the door. But if it is an open house event, you should probably leave it unlocked. Just be aware of the kind of risk that this is going to pose to you, your house, your family, and your guests. Remember, your home alarm is not going to sound off just because the wrong kind of character enters: it cannot tell the difference between an invited guest and an intruder when your door is left unlocked! If you live in a more marginal neighborhood it could even make sense to hire a "doorman". This could be anyone from a professional to a neighborhood teenager that you pay $10/hour to stand and check people off a guest list.
And finally, if it is going to be an open house situation, then it does not hurt to put some of your most valuable and easily steal-able items in a safe location, like a safe. This would include expensive or memory-rich jewelry, cash, passports, credit cards, etc. While it is unlikely that any of these items will be touched if your party is small and intimate, if it is the kind of affair in which friends-of-friends will be showing up, you will not be able to assume that everyone is of the same character.
