Planning a wild birthday bash while your parents are out and worried their house will get trashed?Well, we strongly suggest you reconsider. However, if you’re looking to host a party in your own home and want to mitigate security threats, then read on because this is the blog post for you.
While throwing a party is usually a joyous affair, any number of things could go wrong. And the larger the shindig, the more vulnerable your abode will become. With that in mind, it’s worth taking all reasonable precautions to protect your home. Otherwise, you could be in a situation where unwanted intruders overrun the house. And sometimes, even invited guests can make off with your valuables.
Keep the following seven security tips in mind to ensure your upcoming house party goes off without a hitch.
Keep It Private
It may be tempting to send out an open invitation on Facebook and see who turns up. After all, not many people will show, right?
Wrong.
House parties around Australia veer wildly out of control every weekend as scores of unwanted strangers decide to gate crash. And if excessive alcohol is involved, which it almost always is, these unruly crowds could end up trashing your home or taking their anger out on the streets. In fact, the situation is so common that Australian Police have begun fining hosts whose out of control parties require an emergency response. Granted, these situations usually occur in high school circles, but that’s not to say young adults are entirely immune from danger.
The best way to prevent a house party from going haywire is to cull down the guest list. By all means, use Facebook to invite your friends, but set the event to private and don’t allow guests to invite other guests.
Stash Your Valuables Away
If your party does get gatecrashed by a bunch of undesirable types, the last thing you want is for your valuables to be exposed. Furthermore, no matter how well you think you know you’re guests, there’s always a chance one could secretly be a sticky-fingered kleptomaniac.The best way to keep your valuables safe is to hide them out of sight. Put them somewhere no reasonable person would look. If you’re able to lock them away, even better.
Sure, it may seem like a chore to hide your valuables then put them back again the day. But think of how much it would hurt to lose it all.
Keep Any Delicate Items Out Of Sight
House parties tend to involve alcohol. And even responsible consumption will cause your guests to have lower inhibitions and reduced hand-eye coordination. Up the ante to excessive use, and all of a sudden you’ve got a whole bunch of unruly and incredibly clumsy guests.In these situations, it’s not at all unlikely that someone will damage something in your home.
Of course, it’s virtually impossible to force drunk guests to behave, so the best way to prevent damage is to stash delicate items away.
Control Alcohol Intake
As we know, the more alcohol your guests consume, the more likely someone is tobreak something.Whether it be knocking a glass off the table, spilling red wine on the carpet, or purging bodily fluids anywhere other than the toilet bowl, drunk people are a high risk to have around your home. And an effective way to curb such behaviour is to monitor the intake of your guests.Now, no one likes a party pooper, so you’d be wise to do so tactfully.
If someone at the party appears to be getting a little out of control, then you could offer them water to curb their intake. Should the situation worsen, you should take the initiative to call them a taxi home. Another effective way to avoid overly intoxicated guests is ‘forget’ to invite anyone with a reputation for bad alcohol-related behaviour.
Lock Areas You Don’t Want To Use
It’s rarely a good idea to have guests trampling throughout your house.
Keeping everyone confined to a selected few spaces will enhance the social dynamic, reduce the possibility of theft, and minimise the cleaning required the next day. Furthermore, you’ll have a much easier time keeping an eye on your guests when everyone is hanging out in the same place.If possible, lock the doors to any rooms you don’t want people accessing. Often, however, this won’t be viable, so you could try hanging up signage or sticking tape over the door as a deterrent instead.
Reconfigure Your Home Security System
If you’ve got a wireless alarm system in your home, then you can easily configure your set up to monitor the event. Rearrange your wireless cameras to record critical areas of your home, such as the front door to see who is coming and going or the driveway to grab the registration details of potential gatecrashers.The great thing about wireless alarm systems is they’re flexible enough to be moved around on a whim.
Say No to Gate Crashers
Although it may feel rude or awkward, the safest way to deal with an uninvited guest is to politely request they leave. After all, you have no idea about this person’s personality, criminal background, and drug and alcohol intake. If a friend tells you they want to bring a mate, whether it be in advance or on the night, vet them carefully to ensure this person won’t cause trouble. If you do decide to let them join the party, explain to your friend that they will be responsible for the newcomer’s actions.
Hosting a house party is a heck of a lot of fun, but it pays to be cautious to avoid gatecrashers and ensure nothing goes missing. Keep these nifty tricks in mind before and during the night to host a hassle-free event that won’t require police intervention.
