Burglars target homes that look empty: piled mail, dark windows, no car. Set light timers, stop mail delivery, rekey if keys were shared with pet sitters, and check deadbolt strike plates before you leave.
Every June we see a spike in calls from homeowners who come back from vacation to find their house broken into. Last summer a family in Fountaingrove left for two weeks in Hawaii. Mail stacked up, lights stayed dark, car was gone. The burglar walked in through an unlocked side gate and pried the sliding door. Ten minutes later, laptops and jewelry gone. Most vacation break-ins are preventable with a 30-minute prep before you leave.
The 10-Point Pre-Vacation Checklist
1. Check every deadbolt — test that it extends fully and the strike plate is tight. 2. Replace batteries in smart locks. 3. Set light timers in 2-3 rooms on staggered schedules. 4. Stop mail and packages — USPS hold mail takes 30 seconds online. 5. Ask a neighbor to grab newspapers and flyers. 6. Rekey if you gave a key to a pet sitter or house sitter you do not fully trust. 7. Lock the sliding door and drop a security bar in the track. 8. Close garage door and unplug the opener (prevents code grabbing). 9. Do not post vacation photos on social media until you are home. 10. Leave a car in the driveway or ask a neighbor to park there.
What Burglars Look For
Burglars look for signs of an empty house: stacked mail, dark windows every night, no car, newspapers piling up, and social media posts from the beach. They knock on the front door first. If nobody answers, they go around back. The sliding door and side gates are primary targets because they are hidden from street view. A dog bowl on the porch is a mild deterrent. A real deadbolt with 3-inch strike screws is a strong one.
Smart Home Security on a Budget
A Ring or Blink camera at the front door costs $30 to $50 and sends alerts to your phone. Smart plugs for lamps cost $10 each and create the illusion of activity. A smart lock lets you grant temporary codes to pet sitters and revoke them from your phone. Total cost for a basic smart security setup: under $150. We install and configure smart locks starting at $95. Call (707) 775-7069 before your trip.