Summer isn’t just the season for spending more time outside—it’s also prime time for family adventures, road trips, and that long-awaited vacation on the calendar. Once the reservations are booked, the boarding passes are downloaded, and the PTO is approved, there’s often one lingering thought before you head out the door: your house will be sitting empty while you’re away.
First of all, don’t panic: statistics show that home burglaries are way down across the country. Still, the crime remains common enough and a 2014 report from the Department of Justice found that home burglaries spike in the summer. So it’s worth taking a few simple precautions before you leave. The good news is that a few smart strategies can go a long way toward helping your home look occupied, secure, and off a thief’s radar while you enjoy your trip.
• Consider the lighting situation.
Use timers on lights or other smart home systems to vary interior lighting patterns in your home. We really like Hue smart bulbs. Outside, ensure all entry points have adequate lighting and sight access (i.e. trim bushes and vegetation) so intruders can’t approach unnoticed. Motion activated lights by the front steps or front door are also a great option.
• Plan for outside upkeep.
A dead giveaway that a house is vacant: an overgrown lawn. Hire someone to mow the grass and do landscaping while you’re gone. Along those lines, stop your mail and ask a friend to collect any flyers that pile up on your front steps.
• Mum’s the word on social media.
If you’re looking for a car service to the airport or a cat sitter while you’re away: Don’t go on your local Facebook group and announce the exact dates your house will be sitting empty and vulnerable.
• Tell a neighbor
That said, there are folks you do want to tell you’ll be gone: Your neighbors. Let a family or two around your house know the dates you’ll be away, ensuring you’ll have a few sets of eyes on your house in tune to any unusual activity. Note that daytime burglaries are more common than nighttime, according to government crime statistics compiled by Safe Home.
• Prevent porch piracy
Who among us hasn’t misjudged when a package will arrive? And porch piracy is the fastest-growing home-related crime, according to Forbes. Remember to keep an eye on any orders you placed that may accidentally appear while you’re away, and if something does get dropped on your doorstep, be prepared to ask a neighbor to grab it (and return the favor when they go away).
• Lock the doors and windows.
Sounds obvious, but when you’re rushing to get ready for a trip, you may forget that you had your bedroom windows open for a breeze or the sliding doors to the side yard opening and closing all day before you leave. It’s worth double- and triple-checking that they’re not just shut but securely locked before you head out the door. If you have a locking bar on your sliding doors, put it in place. (Twenty-five percent of home burglars get into a house via an unlocked front or back door, according to ADT home security systems.) If you have a gate to your yard, put a lock on it so yard access (and therefore, stealthier access to your home) is more difficult. And while you’re there, remove your spare key from your hide-a-key!
• Troubleshoot leaks and flooding.
Consider placing water sensors near places prone to leaks, such as your sump pit, under sinks, near the water heater and near basement windows. You can set them up via an app and you’ll get alerted when they detect water. I use these.
For longer trips, consider turning off your home’s main water supply so a burst hose or supply line can’t flood the house while you’re gone (see photo). The main shutoff is usually in the basement where the water line enters the home, and is typically a lever valve (a quarter turn crosswise to the pipe). Once you turn it off, open a faucet on the lowest level of your house to drain the lines. Locate and test it a few days before you leave, instead of attempting to figure it all out in a rush while your ride to the airport is pulling up to the house! Lastly, you can also install a smart shutoff valve that automatically turns the water off if a leak is found.
• Secure the garage.
If you absolutely must leave your car on the street, be sure to remove the garage remote from inside. And lock your overhead garage door manually with a lock or zip tie when you leave town—some doors are surprisingly easy to break into. Also put your garage opener into “lock mode” or “vacation mode,” which disables all wireless remotes, so the door can’t be opened by any remote signal, like someone using a stolen or code-grabbing remote to open your door. (This method is electronic only, so you still need to lock it manually.)
• Take advantage of technology
Experts think that the reason home burglary rates have dropped so much in recent years is due to an increase in video doorbells and easy-to-install alarm systems. Arm your house alarm and set any smart home devices to alert you to unexpected activity.
• Keep your insurance documents handy
In the unlikely event that something is stolen while you’re away, have your login and password for your homeowners insurance handy so you can check your policy to see what can be reimbursed.
