Make the Home Look Normal
An empty house is easier to spot when it looks empty: mail piling up, a lawn that has grown, no lights in the evening, a car that never moves. The goal of most pre-trip preparation is to keep ordinary signs of life, and to make sure that a problem would be noticed quickly. None of this guarantees that nothing will happen, and results vary, but it reduces obvious cues and gives you a better chance to find out about problems early.
A Few Days Before You Go
Check the system. Make sure the panel shows no trouble messages, sensor batteries are fresh and the system can communicate. The batteries behind the panel matter during a power outage, and this is the point to confirm they are healthy. Replacing batteries before the trip is easier than doing it by phone while you are away. Consider also whether cellular backup is active for use if home internet fails.
Test. Run a basic test of the alarm and, if monitored, tell the monitoring company beforehand. Routine testing practices are described under system testing.
Update your contacts. Give the monitoring company current phone numbers, and make sure at least one person who can respond is reachable while you are away. Your key holder list should include someone who can actually get to the house. If you are traveling to another time zone, tell the company how to reach you.
Review codes. Do not hand out your main code to everyone. Give a pet sitter or house sitter a separate code, and remove it when they are done.
Locks and Entry Points
- Lock every door and window, including those you rarely use. Check the garage, basement and any sliding doors, whose weak points are discussed under sliding doors and basement entrances.
- Consider securing sliding door tracks with a bar or pin if you do not already.
- Put the garage door opener out of reach, or use any vacation lock feature it has. Leave no spare key outdoors.
- Check that outdoor lights work and consider timers or sensors.
Lighting and Signs of Life
Timers, or smart plugs that can be set from your phone, can turn lights on in different rooms in the evening. Varied timing looks more natural than a fixed schedule, though a regular pattern is better than leaving the house dark. Lights that react to motion outside add to the picture, and the benefits and limits are explained under security lighting. Do not leave one lamp on around the clock, since that looks unnatural.
Mail, Packages and Lawns
- Ask the postal service to hold your mail, or ask a trusted neighbor to collect it.
- Pause newspaper delivery and ask delivery services not to leave parcels. If you do receive packages, someone should bring them in; the broader problem is described under package theft.
- Arrange for someone to mow the lawn or clear snow in season. A tidy exterior, along with trimmed shrubs that don’t hide windows, supports security landscaping.
- Ask a neighbor to park a car in your driveway occasionally, if they are happy to.
Alarm and Camera Settings
- Arm in “away” mode as you leave. Check that every door shows secure.
- Enable notifications and test that alerts reach your phone while you are away. A notification you cannot receive is of little value.
- Think about connectivity. Routers that lose power or go offline can leave cameras blind. Surge protection and an uninterruptible power supply can help with brief outages, and Wi-Fi reliability affects how well cameras report to you.
- Review camera views. Check that each camera is working and aimed properly. Also consider how long recordings are stored, since footage may overwrite itself if you do not check it for weeks.
- Remember pets. If animals stay at home, interior motion sensors may need a different arrangement, as described under pet immunity.
Remote access to your system can be reassuring while you are away, but use strong, unique passwords and two-factor authentication where offered, and avoid logging in on public Wi-Fi.
Protect Against Water, Heat and Cold
Not all damage on return comes from intruders. A burst pipe or leak in an empty house can do extensive harm.
- Consider turning off the main water supply or at least the washing machine and dishwasher valves if you will be away for a long time.
- In cold climates, leave the heat on at a temperature that avoids freezing, and use freeze sensors or other environmental sensors that can send an alert.
- Unplug non-essential appliances if you want, though keep equipment that needs power, such as your security system and router.
- Know that a sensor can warn you of water damage, but it cannot fix a leak; someone needs to be able to go to the house.
Local conditions, insurance terms and your plumber’s advice may suggest different steps, and some insurance policies set conditions on unoccupied homes, so check yours.
Be Careful What You Share
- Wait until you return to post vacation photos publicly. Posts that show you are away can tell strangers your home is empty.
- Avoid putting travel dates on voicemail greetings and out-of-office emails that are visible to people you do not know.
- Do not tag your location in real time, and consider who can see your social media accounts.
- Tell only people who need to know. A trusted neighbor, family member or house sitter is generally enough.
Using a House Sitter or Short-Term Guests
If someone stays at your home, brief them on the alarm, where the panel is, who to call and what to do if an alarm sounds. If you rent out your home while away, there are additional privacy points about cameras, covered under vacation rentals and recording laws.
When You Come Home
Check the panel’s event history, look over the exterior before going in and trust your instincts. If a door has been forced or something seems wrong, do not enter. Call the police from a safe place, as outlined under post-burglary steps. Otherwise, reset any temporary codes and return the home to its normal routine.