Securing Your Home Before Going on Holiday: A Homeowner’s Guide

There’s a particular kind of stress that creeps in the night before a holiday. You’ve packed, you’ve double-checked flight times, and then it hits you: is the house actually secure while it sits empty for the next week or two?

It’s a fair question. An empty home is an easy target, and holiday periods are exactly when burglars know houses are more likely to be unoccupied. The good news is that most of what makes a home a target is fixable, and a lot of it comes down to planning rather than expensive gear.

Why holidays are a genuine risk period

This isn’t just a feeling; the data backs it up. In New South Wales, the Government notes that break and enter is a slightly seasonal crime, with more offences occurring during holiday periods in January, March, and May. The same source points out that almost all break-and-enters happen when a home is unoccupied, and in 93% of incidents, offenders don’t confront anyone at all, which tells you a lot about what burglars are actually looking for: an empty house, not a confrontation.

Insurance data tells a similar story. Allianz Australia reported that theft claims spiked to $1.62 million over the two weeks covering the holiday season, 31% higher than the following two weeks. And in Victoria, the Crime Statistics Agency recorded 30,545 residential burglary offences in the year to June 2025, an increase of almost 14% on the previous year, prompting Neighbourhood Watch Victoria to specifically urge people to secure their homes before leaving on holiday.

Nationally, a separate survey found that the season with the highest reported burglary rate is summer and burglars enter through a window, with back doors the second most common entry point. That last point matters; a lot of home security effort goes into front doors, when windows and back doors are actually more commonly used to get in.

Start with what a burglar actually looks for

Before you think about locks, cameras, or security screens, it’s worth thinking like a burglar for a minute, because most break-ins aren’t the work of a determined criminal cracking a safe. They’re opportunistic. A burglar walking down your street is looking for the easiest, quietest option, and there are a few obvious signals that tell them a house is empty:

• Overflowing mail or parcels left on the doorstep
• Curtains or blinds that never open or close
• No cars in the driveway for days at a time
• Lights that are never on, even after dark
• Overgrown grass or an unusually quiet, still-looking property

None of these things individually gives it away, but together they build a picture. The goal before you leave isn’t to make your house look like a fortress; it’s to make it look like someone’s still living there.

The checklist: two weeks, two days, and the morning you leave

A week or two out, arrange the things that take a bit of coordination. Ask a neighbour, friend, or family member to collect your mail and put your bins out on the usual day. If you’re away for an extended period, consider a timer for a couple of lights, or a lamp on a smart plug that can be controlled remotely. Let a trusted neighbour know your travel dates, so they can keep an eye out for anything unusual.

A couple of days before, do a walk around the outside of your property. Trim back any bushes or trees that block the view of your doors and windows from the street; dense greenery might feel private, but it also gives a burglar cover to work unseen. Check that your outdoor lighting actually works, and consider whether a motion-sensor light near entry points is worth adding.

On the morning you leave, do a final check: all windows closed and locked (not just closed, actually locked), doors locked including any side or laundry doors, garage door down and locked, and any spare keys removed from their usual hiding spots. Hidden keys under a mat or in a fake rock are one of the first things an experienced burglar checks.

Why doors and windows deserve a proper look, not just a lock check

A standard door or window lock is a good baseline, but it’s designed to keep an honest person honest; it’s not built to resist someone determined to force their way in, and with 31% of burglars in Australian surveys entering via a window, this is worth taking seriously.

This is where a genuine Baulkham Hills security screens and doors earns its place. Unlike a standard flyscreen or a decorative grille, a certified security screen is tested to resist forced entry, things like kicking, prying, or cutting through the mesh, rather than just keeping insects out. If you’re weighing up whether it’s worth the investment, it’s worth remembering that these products protect your home every day of the year, not just while you’re away. But their value is most obvious during exactly the situation described above: a home sitting empty, unattended, for days or weeks at a time, with nobody there to notice or respond if something goes wrong.

If you’re considering adding security screens or doors to your home, going on holiday is often the moment that turns “we should really look into that” into an actual decision. It’s a reasonable prompt, but the best time to have security screens fitted is well before you’re standing at the front door with a suitcase in hand, wondering if you’ve done enough.

Before you go

A secure home while you’re away isn’t about one single thing, it’s the combination of a few simple habits (mail, lights, a trusted neighbour) and a few structural upgrades (locks, screens, doors) that actually hold up under pressure. Get both right, and you can enjoy your holiday without one eye on your home security system the whole time.