Quick answer
Make your home look lived in while you’re gone. An 18-step vacation security timeline, from holding your mail to protecting against leaks, plus a printable checklist.
Contents
An empty home is an easier target, and the signs that you’re away are usually small: a pile of mail, a dark house every night, a social media post from the beach. Fix those, and your home looks lived in the whole time you’re gone.
These home security tips before vacation are laid out as a timeline: one week before, the day before, the moment you leave, and while you’re away. You’ll also find steps to protect your home from leaks and power problems, which cause their own share of vacation-ruining surprises.
One Week Before You Leave
1. Hold your mail and packages
Overflowing mailboxes and packages on the step are the clearest sign nobody’s home. USPS Hold Mail is free and pauses letters and packages for 3 to 30 days. You can request it online up to 30 days ahead, after creating a USPS.com account and verifying your identity (USPS Hold Mail). Pause newspaper delivery and reschedule online orders too.
2. Ask a trusted neighbor or friend to help
Ask someone you trust to check the house, grab any stray flyers or packages, and move your trash cans on collection day. Give them your contact details and the dates you’re away.
3. Check for a police vacation house check
Many local police departments offer free vacation home checks, where officers drive by or check the outside of your home while you’re away. Search your city or county police website, or call their non-emergency number.
4. Arrange lawn or snow care
An overgrown lawn in summer or an unshoveled driveway in winter tells everyone the house is empty. Schedule a service or ask a neighbor.
5. Test your alarm, cameras and smoke detectors
Check that your alarm system and cameras are working, connected and sending alerts to your phone. Replace batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
6. Update your home inventory
Take a quick video walk-through of each room and photos of serial numbers for electronics. If anything happens, it makes insurance claims far easier.
The Day Before
7. Set lights on timers
Plug-in timers or smart plugs can switch lights on in the evening and off at bedtime. Use them in rooms visible from the street, and vary the times so the pattern looks natural.
8. Lock away valuables
Put jewelry, passports you’re not taking, spare keys and important documents in a locked safe or a safe-deposit box. Don’t leave laptops or tablets in view of windows.
9. Bring in a hidden key
Remove any key hidden under a mat, plant pot or fake rock. Give a spare to your trusted neighbor instead.
10. Put away ladders and tools
Ladders and tools left outside can help someone reach a second-floor window or force a door. Lock them in the garage or shed.
11. Tidy the outside
Bring in packages, put away bikes and toys, and close the garage door. A neat yard looks occupied.
The Morning You Leave
12. Walk through every door and window
Lock every door and window, including upstairs windows, basement windows and the door from the garage into the house. Put a security bar in sliding doors.
13. Close blinds the way you normally would
Fully closed blinds all week can look as suspicious as a dark house. Leave them as you usually do, but make sure valuables can’t be seen from outside.
14. Arm your alarm and check cameras
Arm the alarm and confirm on your phone that cameras are online. Tell your monitoring company, if you have one, that you’ll be away and who your local contact is.
15. Disconnect or lock the garage opener
If you’ll be gone a while, unplug the garage door opener or use its vacation lock so it can’t be opened remotely.
Protect Your Home From Non-Burglary Problems
A burst pipe or electrical fire can do more damage than a break-in. Before you go:
- Shut off the main water valve if your home doesn’t need water while you’re away (check with your irrigation or fire sprinkler system first). Or at least turn off the supply to your washing machine.
- Keep the heat on in winter at a moderate setting to help prevent frozen pipes. Check your home insurance policy, since some require heat to be maintained.
- Unplug small appliances and electronics like toasters, coffee makers, TVs and computers. It saves power and protects them from surges.
- Empty the fridge of anything that will spoil, and take out the trash.
- Set the thermostat to an energy-saving level for the season.
While You’re Away
16. Don’t post your trip in real time
Share your photos after you’re home. Live posts and check-ins tell people your house is empty. Check your privacy settings and ask family members to do the same.
17. Keep your voicemail and email messages vague
“I’m unavailable right now” is better than “I’m in Hawaii until the 20th.”
18. Check your alerts
Keep an eye on camera and alarm notifications, and keep your neighbor’s number handy if something looks wrong.
Vacation Security Checklist
- Mail held and deliveries paused
- Neighbor briefed with your dates and contact info
- Police vacation check requested (if available)
- Lawn or snow care arranged
- Alarm, cameras and smoke alarms tested
- Light timers set
- Valuables locked away, hidden key removed
- Ladders and tools stored
- Every door and window locked, sliding door barred
- Water shut off or washer supply off, small appliances unplugged
- No trip posts until you’re home
Vacation Security Myths vs Facts
Myth: Leaving one light on all the time makes the house look occupied.
Fact: A light burning 24 hours a day can actually signal that nobody’s home. Timers that switch lights on and off look more natural.
Myth: Burglars only strike at night.
Fact: Empty homes can be targeted at any time, including during the day when neighbors are at work. Make the house look lived in around the clock.
Myth: A hidden key is safe if it’s well hidden.
Fact: Common hiding spots are well known. Leave a spare with someone you trust.
Myth: Cameras alone keep your home safe.
Fact: Cameras help you see what’s happening, but strong locks, a lived-in look and a helpful neighbor do more to prevent a break-in.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make my house look lived in while on vacation?
How long can USPS hold my mail?
Should I turn off the water when I go on vacation?
Should I tell my neighbors I'm going on vacation?
Is it safe to post vacation photos on social media?
The Bottom Line
The best home security tips before vacation are simple: hold your mail, ask a trusted neighbor for help, put lights on timers, lock away valuables and lock every door and window. Protect against leaks and power issues too, and keep your trip off social media until you’re back. Then you can actually relax while you’re away.
For everyday protection that comes with you when you move, see our renter-friendly home security ideas.
