It’s one of the main concerns for vacationers: leaving their house unattended for several days or even weeks. Summer and long departures indeed make homes more prone to burglaries.
The first solution: hiring professionals. In Nice, as in all cities in France, the city council has set up the “Tranquility” operation for vacations. This measure involves police patrols around abandoned homes upon request. This service has been available since June and will continue until September 2nd. To benefit from this completely free service, one simply needs to request it at the police station or the relevant gendarmerie.
There are also numerous security agencies in Nice specialized in private home surveillance. Among them are U.S.P.I Sécurité and Dog Sécurité.
The trend also includes exchanges of services among individuals. Online, classified ad sites are filled with listings seeking house sitters for the summer. Specialized associations have emerged based on this concept. For example, Residence Partners Service offers that retired couples look after homes throughout France in the absence of their owners (association fees are 150 euros for one week).
Another less costly solution is to rely on good relationships between neighbors. This is the idea that residents of the Quatre-Chemins neighborhood, on the heights of Nice, came up with. They have initiated the “Vigilant Neighbors” campaign. The concept is simple: a network of neighbors alert to the security of their neighborhood. This provides yet another reason to maintain good relations with your neighbors.
And if solidarity is really lacking in your neighborhood, a good alarm or surveillance system will also do the trick.
