Home Security While on Vacation: The Complete Checklist (2026)

An empty house is the easiest target there is. Burglars want to get in and out without meeting anyone, and a home that looks unoccupied for a week tells them exactly that: mail piling up, the same lights on day and night, the garbage bins left out, and a cheerful beach photo posted on social media.

This checklist covers what to do two weeks before you leave, the day you go, while you are away and when you get back. Most of it is free. The rest uses some of the best-selling home security products on Amazon.

Our picks at a glance

Two weeks before you leave

• Put your mail on hold. USPS Hold Mail is free and holds mail for 3 to 30 days. You can request it online up to 30 days ahead.
• Pause newspapers and subscriptions that deliver to your door.
• Ask a trusted neighbour to keep an eye on the house, collect packages, move the bins and, if possible, park in your driveway now and then.
• Tell your local police department. Many departments offer vacation house checks when officers have time. Ask what yours offers.
• Arrange lawn care or snow clearing. An overgrown lawn or an unshovelled drive is a sign nobody is home.
• Order any security gear you need and test it before you go, not on the last night.

Make the house look lived in

Burglars look for signs of life. In the UNC Charlotte survey of 422 incarcerated burglars, the presence of residents and people nearby were among the strongest deterrents. You cannot be home, but you can fake the signals.

Lights on a schedule

Put two or three lamps in different rooms on smart plugs or timers and set them to come on in the evening and go off at bedtime. Vary the times between rooms. Many smart plug apps have an “away” mode that randomises the schedule so it does not look automated.

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Leave curtains as you normally do

Closing every curtain for two weeks is its own signal. Leave blinds and curtains in their normal positions, but move valuables out of sight of windows.

Keep the outside normal

Ask your neighbour to take the bins out and bring them back on collection day, and to pick up flyers and packages from the porch. A car parked in the driveway is one of the strongest signs someone is home.

Lock everything

• Lock every exterior door with a deadbolt, including the door from the garage to the house.
• Lock all windows, including upstairs windows and the small bathroom window.
• Put a bar in the track of sliding doors. See our sliding glass door guide.
• Lock the garage door to its track or unplug the opener. See garage door security.
• Lock sheds and side gates, and put ladders and tools away.
• Remove any spare key hidden outside. Give one to your neighbour instead.

Watch the house from your phone

Cameras and alarms do two jobs while you are away: they deter, and they let you act quickly if something happens. About 60% of burglars in the UNC Charlotte survey said an alarm would make them choose another target, and about half said outdoor cameras would deter them.

• Camera on the main entrances. Front door, back door or patio, and the garage. Set motion alerts so you know when someone approaches.
• Video doorbell. See and talk to whoever comes to the door, as if you were home. See our package theft guide for picks.
• Alarm with phone alerts. A DIY kit sends alerts to you and, if you add monitoring, to a monitoring centre.
• Leak and temperature sensors. A burst pipe while you are away can do more damage than a burglar. Cheap leak sensors under sinks and the water heater send an alert.

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Before you leave, test every device: check alerts reach your phone, cameras are online, and batteries are fresh. Share access with your neighbour so they can check on alerts if you cannot.

Protect valuables

Lock passports you are not taking, jewellery, spare cash and important documents in a safe that is bolted down, or take them to a safe deposit box for longer trips. Do not hide them in the master bedroom, which is where burglars look first. See where burglars look first and our home safe guide.

The day you leave

• Unplug appliances you do not need, such as the toaster and computers.
• Set the thermostat to a safe level for the season.
• Turn off the water main if you are going for a long time, or at least the water to the washing machine.
• Arm the alarm and check the app shows it armed.
• Take a final walk round to check every door and window.
• Do not change your voicemail or email auto-reply to say you are away.

While you are away

• Do not post vacation photos until you are home.
• Respond to camera and alarm alerts, or make sure your neighbour can.
• Check your mail hold and deliveries are working as planned.
• If something happens, call the local police non-emergency line or 911 for a crime in progress, then your neighbour.

When you get home

Look before you go in. If a door is open, a window is broken or anything looks wrong, do not go inside. Call the police from somewhere safe. Otherwise, check the house, review any camera footage and switch your devices back to normal schedules.

Vacation security for renters and apartments

Apartments have different weak points when you travel. Packages pile up in shared lobbies, neighbours may not know you well enough to notice anything odd, and the front desk or building manager is often your best ally. Tell the building manager or front desk how long you will be away and who, if anyone, is allowed in. Ask them to hold packages, or pause deliveries entirely. If you have a ground-floor unit, the window and patio-door advice above matters even more. An indoor camera on a shelf facing the door and a stick-on alarm on the slider are both renter-friendly and come home with you. Our apartment security guide has the full list.

Long trips and second homes

For trips longer than a month, the 30-day limit on USPS Hold Mail means you will need someone to collect mail or a forwarding arrangement. Consider a house sitter, or at least a weekly visit from someone you trust who can water plants, run taps and check for leaks. For a second home that sits empty for months, professional alarm monitoring and leak and temperature sensors are worth the cost, because nobody will notice a problem otherwise.

Printable vacation security checklist

When	Task	Done
2 weeks before	Mail hold, deliveries paused, neighbour briefed, police told	☐
1 week before	Smart plugs and timers set, camera and alarm tested	☐
Day before	Valuables locked away, spare key retrieved	☐
Day you leave	All doors, windows, garage locked; alarm armed; water and appliances off	☐
While away	No posts; respond to alerts	☐
Return	Check from outside before entering	☐

Keep reading

• How to secure your home: the complete guide
• Home security systems with no monthly fee
• Where burglars look first
• How to secure your garage door

Sources

• USPS — Hold Mail: The Basics
• City of Glendale, WI Police — Vacation Checklist
• UNC Charlotte — Through the eyes of a burglar (study of 422 incarcerated burglars)

Verified October 2026. Amazon sales signals checked October 2026.

How we choose and check gear: see our Editorial Policy.