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9 Ways to Protect Your Home While You're Away on Vacation

Updated:
An outdoor security camera mounted in the corner

Leave for vacation with peace of mind knowing your home is secure. (Image: Shutterstock)

Heading out on vacation should be a relaxing break from daily stresses, not a cause for concern about the safety of your home. Yet, an empty house can be an attractive target for burglars. To keep your home secure and your mind at ease while you're soaking up the sun or trekking through mountains, it's important to take proactive steps to protect your property. From tech solutions to simple preventative measures, this article covers essential tips to help ensure your home stays safe and sound, leaving you to enjoy your getaway without worry.

Install a Home Security System

Vacation or no vacation, a good security system acts as a powerful deterrent for burglars. Modern systems can alert local authorities automatically and allow you to monitor your home remotely via smartphone.

Do your research, invest in a system you trust, and install your home security system before you leave your home for vacation.

Unplug Some Things — and Use Timers on Others

An unplugged cord from an outlet
Unplugging appliances and devices while on vacation helps prevent electrical fires. (Image: Shutterstock)

Don’t just lock up your home before going on a vacation. You should also unplug your appliances to decrease the chance of an electrical fire or power surge. These items range from TVs and coffee makers to lamps and alarm clocks. Even if someone’s watching over your home while you’re away, you should still get into the habit of unplugging your appliances so you have peace of mind knowing your home is as safe as possible. (Don’t forget to adjust your thermostat and other home comfort systems, too — don’t pay for energy that you don’t need to use!)

At the same time, though, you don’t want to advertise the fact that you’re not home — burglars might take notice. Timers on your indoor lights can make it appear as if someone is home. Set them to turn on and off in a way that mimics normal usage, keeping your house looking lived in even when it’s not. Yes, this takes a little power, but there are better ways to save on energy. If lights on timers can help keep your home from being broken into, then that’s money well spent.

Have the Post Office Hold Your Mail

If you’re going on an extended vacation, you can contact your local post office to pause your mail service until you return. Having mail pile up is a sure sign no one is home, and you don’t want to risk important mail getting stolen or removed from your mailbox.

Neighbors can pick up your newspaper or mail for you, but it’s best if as few people as possible handle your personal items. Simply fill out a form online that lets your post office know to pause mail service at your residence. You can also pause other deliveries or regular subscriptions, such as meal services, through your individual logins.

Avoid Posting About Your Vacation While You’re Still Away

“Latergramming” can be a smart security choice. When you post on social media and tell the world that you’re on vacation, you’re also announcing to all that can hear that you are not home, and that now would be the perfect time to break into your house. Post your pictures after the vacation, or at least be very mindful of your privacy settings and which apps you post to.

Use a Safe and Lock Things Up

If you cannot take valuable items with you, locking them in a safe bolted to the floor is recommended. This makes it harder for thieves to walk away with your precious belongings.

Naturally, you should also remember to lock all of your doors and windows! Before you leave, take a lap around the house or apartment to triple-check that you’ve secured every point of entry. Take this last chance to make sure that everything is locked up tight.

Talk to Your Neighbors Before You Go

Telling your neighbors you’re going on vacation is almost always a good idea. Assuming you have trustworthy and friendly neighbors, let them know that you’ll be out of town. Tell them if you have anyone housesitting or dropping by to check on things, and tell them what that person looks like.

You don’t necessarily have to ask your neighbors to be actively watching over your house. You just want them to know what the deal is so that they think twice if they see someone they don’t recognize entering your house. You want to be able to count on your neighbors to call the cops on burglars (and to not call the cops on your housesitter), so give your neighbors the information that they’ll need in order to make the right decision.

Take Away That Hidden Spare Key

It’s not really a good idea to have a key to your house hidden outside, even under the best of circumstances. But it’s a fact that many homeowners stash a key somewhere anyway. If you feel you must do this, please pick a very hidden spot, put the key in a key safe, and remove the whole setup when you leave town.

You may think your spare key is tough to find, but burglars can find it — especially if they have all day and night to look because you’re not home to see them snooping around.

Take Advantage of Smart Home Devices

A person holding a smartphone with a house icon on the screen
Locking up your home with smart devices is a great way to secure your home during vacation. (Image: Shutterstock)

Modern smart home devices can sync with your home security system, and smart plugs and lights are useful as timers. Having the right smart home technology in your home can make it very easy to follow some of these vacation home security tips.

Check Your Insurance Coverage

Review your home insurance policy to ensure it's up to date and covers common risks while you're away. This can provide peace of mind and protection in case of an incident.

Trust us — you want to do this before you leave and before there is any such incident. Finding out about gaps in your coverage after something bad happens is a very unpleasant experience.