14 Security Tips to Prepare Your Home For Vacation – Mom With a Prep

Ensure mail and deliveries are paused – or picked up

The last thing you want is a porch full of boxes and a mailbox filled with mail. Ensure any orders you place before you leave for vacation are not delivered during your time away. You can contact the company to ask them to deliver your order after a certain date. Better yet, don’t place any orders that you need delivered to your home when you are two weeks out from your trip. For mail service, USPS can stop your mail for a period of time.

An easier option might be to ask a neighbor you trust to bring in your mail or orders each day. Paying a neighborhood teen is a great option too! 

Lock every door and window

Might sound like common sense, but even the best of us forget sometimes. Have two people in the family go around to every door, window, garage door or whatever other access point you might have to test if they can be opened. If you have an older home you may have a basement door that you need to lock as well. Sheds, gates and other buildings on the property should also be tested. 

If you have digital access doors, see if you can turn off access completely so no one can use a universal remote or hack into your system. Bring an old-fashioned key to get in when you get home and then you can go back to your digital ways. If you have a smart home, there are apps and mechanisms for controlling the lights and doors in your home. You can answer a doorbell from afar, turn the lights on and off in your home, and even code a remote ‘key’ to allow neighbors in if you don’t want to give one out.

Have someone check by often

Even if they aren’t going to have a key to get in, have someone visually check your property often to make sure it doesn’t look as if something has happened. This is especially important with impending bad weather. It is highly recommended you give a key to a trusted friend or neighbor. This allows them to get inside to deliver packages and check that the water heater hasn’t emptied its contents onto your newly installed wood floor, etc.

Ask them if they can put your garbage cans out for you (and put them away), pick up flyers have been left on the door or any item that may have been dropped on the porch. See if your local police or sheriff’s department has a vacation check program where officers drive by and check out your property while you’re gone.

Notify alarm company

If you have a home alarm be sure to set them when you’ve gone. If a neighbor has your key, give them the access code so that they don’t set it off when they go into your home.  Let the alarm company know that you’ll be gone so they can be even more alert if your alarms go off in your absence.

If you are going to be gone for an extended time, consider contacting your local police department to let them know you’ll be gone. While they can’t be your security company, they may make an effort to drive by when they’re in your neighborhood.

Install a personal alarm system

You do not need to have a security system that hooks into a company. There are plenty of security systems on the market that you can install on your own to secure your home. You can even use a Ring doorbell or some other kind of wi-fi enabled doorbell monitor. This will allow you to talk to a potential intruder and let them know the police are being called. 

Keep window coverings closed

If you do not have someone coming in and out of your home to move window coverings around, it is best to leave them closed. Leaving them closed will reduce the urge for intruders to peek in and see what is going on. This can minimize them noticing no one is around.

Also, be sure to remove any expensive things from view! For example, my office is downstairs and it is easy to see my computer from the back window. I always close all my window coverings and move my computer to a safe location when I am away. Look in from the windows that offer the easiest access to your home – can you see things that might be alluring to a thief?

Park a car in the driveway

Always have a car in your driveway. If you are the type that always parks cars in the garage, you may want to reconsider when you are away. Having a car in the driveway gives all the feels that someone is home. While it may not be a complete deterrent, it can help in a small way. 

Get a house or pet sitter

If you’re going to be gone for a while, hire someone to house-sit for you. This is a great way to keep the house looking lived in, and if you have pets an extra win for keeping them safe at home while you are away. Sitters can come in a few times a day or even stay overnight. Just make sure you run a background check, get references and make sure they are a solid human. This is especially critical if pets are involved. 

Don’t advertise your trip on social media

I am always amazed at how often I see people posting all over the internet that they aren’t home. What better way for someone to see that your house is now ripe for the picking? You might think that you are “hard to find in real life” – but I promise you, you are not. If you are sharing pictures of you and the family from your trip to Cancun, you just told the world you are away. There is no easier target. 

Be cautious of where you are checking in from and remove any comments friends may leave about your impending trip! Sometimes saying nothing about a vacation is the best thing you can do! If you are the type that needs to share – at least don’t share dates you will be away! 

Share your vacation pictures and details after you get home. 

Hide trashcans

Some burglars will look for cans that are not at the curb on trash day. If there is no trash can at the curb – but they see it on the side of your house, it could give them the idea that you have not been home to create any trash. This is a clear sign to them that the home is probably empty. 

Keep the yard maintained

If you’re going to be gone for an extended period, make sure to pay a neighborhood teen or lawn service to mow your yard or clear it up from the snow. Leaving your home with high grass or an unkempt yard is an easy signal you are not there! Be sure to remove any hidden keys you may have outside too! This is not the time to be leaving keys around! 

Turn things off

If you’re not going to be using it, it’s often a good idea to turn off the following. This can protect your home from a freak storm or random issues that might damage your home. 

• Turn off the water 
• Turn down your water heater to save power
• Adjust your thermostat to save on heating or cooling costs, but do keep it at a level safe for current weather conditions
• Unplug electronic items that will not be used to reduce the risk of fire – but don’t turn off fridges, freezers or lamps/radios/TVs that will be used on timers for safety.

Weatherize your home

If you’re going to be gone during the winter, it’s a good idea to check your weather for serious dips in the temperature and prepare your home accordingly. Protect the outside faucets and pipes, don’t turn your thermostat down too far.

While you can’t prepare for a freak spring storm, you should ask a neighbor to check your home for weather damage from a bad storm. If they find damage they can contact you and you can make arrangements immediately to get any damage fixed or contact your insurance company. 

Do you secure your home when you go away? Have you ever had a break-in while traveling? We would love to hear your stories! 

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