You work hard all year, so you shouldn’t have to spend any of your limited vacation time worrying about burglars, fires, and floods back home. Whether you’re heading north for the summer or simply taking a long trip out of town, here are the best ways to protect your empty home while you’re on vacation.
Arm the Alarm
Of course, you should always set your security system before heading out on vacation. If you don’t already have a security system installed, you might want to consider adding a few smart home devices. That way, you can always arm/disarm the system remotely using your smartphone.
Traditional Security vs Smart Alarm Systems
With a traditional security system, you’ll get a phone call when one of your window/door sensors trips. On the other hand, smart home devices can send security alerts to your smartphone in real time. Then, you’ll know exactly when someone sets foot on your property, and you can check in on your home from anywhere in the world.
It’s easy to build your own smart security system at home. All you need is a starter kit, which usually comes with a “base station” that connects all your devices and sounds the actual siren, a keypad to cancel your alarm, several window/door sensors, and maybe a few motion sensors or other devices
Read More: How to build your own smart home security system
Once you have a starter kit, you can always add more devices to your smart security system, such as smart cameras, smart locks, smart smoke detectors, and more. However, it’s important to note that you’ll usually need to pay for a monthly subscription plan to make all your devices work together. You can also get 24/7 professional monitoring with a smart security system, depending on your subscription plan.
Read More: How to choose a smart home security system
Notify Your Security Company
If you have professional monitoring, make sure to contact the security company and tell them when you will be away on vacation. This way, they’ll know that when your alarm goes off, it’s definitely not you. Also, give them a good phone number to contact you, as well as a good emergency contact who lives close to your home.
Lock Everything Up
In a study from NBC New York, 42% of burglars said they entered homes through an unlocked door or window. So, it’s always a good idea to lock all the doors and first-floor windows to protect your home while on vacation. For even more peace of mind, consider a smart lock or window/door sensors to receive alerts whenever someone tries to break in.
Smart locks allow you to lock/unlock your door from anywhere in the world. For trusted guests, you can create “digital keys,” so they can let themselves in at pre-set times. If you create unique codes for friends and family, then you’ll be able to set individual schedules and see exactly who is coming and going from your home.
There are all types of smart locks: some let you open your door by entering a code, others have fingerprint scanners, and the latest models can unlock with a swipe from your smartphone/smartwatch. Some models will alert you when your lock is tampered with, and you can sound a siren to scare criminals away.
Don’t Forget the Garage
Garages are often overlooked by homeowners, but around 9% of burglars find them an enticing opportunity, according to a study conducted by ADT. If you have a detached garage, installing a smart garage door opener will let you know when your door is opened and let you close it remotely.
Keep an Eye on Your Property
Have you ever been on vacation and worried that you left the stove on? Now you can see exactly what’s going on inside and outside your home, right from your smartphone. All you need is a smart camera or a video doorbell, and you’ll be able to see a live view of your property anywhere, anytime.
Most smart cameras these days come with speakers and microphones built-in, so you’ll be able to talk to any guests and hear them respond in real time. High-end models also have sirens or floodlights that can turn on automatically to scare away unwanted visitors.
With motion detectors built-in, smart cameras will notify you whenever someone steps foot on your property. Plus, if you sign up for a subscription, smart cameras will record a short video clip whenever motion is detected and save it to the cloud, so you can review it anytime.
Read More: The hidden costs of a video doorbell
Turn Your Lights to ‘Vacation Mode’
When you turn off all the lights before leaving on vacation, it will make your home look unoccupied. Thankfully, most smart lights come with a “vacation mode,” which automatically turns your lights on and off randomly and based on the time of day in order to make it look like someone is still home.
(Image Source: Philips Hue)
If you don’t want to replace your bulbs, you can also use smart plugs to control lamps, radios, and other electronic devices. As long as the device plugs into a regular outlet and has an on/off switch, it can be controlled with a smart plug, and many of them also have a vacation mode to turn your devices off and on randomly.
Hold the Mail
When your mailbox is overflowing, criminals will know you’re not home. So, it’s a good idea to hold your mail for longer vacations. The USPS can hold all your mail and packages for 3-30 days, but you will need to submit a request up to 30 days before your vacation begins, so make sure to plan ahead.
If you are going on vacation for more than 30 days, you’ll need to sign up for a forwarding service instead. In addition to overflowing mailboxes, criminals might look for newspapers littering the lawn. Therefore, it’s a good idea to put a hold on any other subscriptions you have.
Read More: How to stop porch pirates
Hire a House-Sitter
It might be obvious, but getting a house-sitter is one of the best ways to protect your home from break-ins while on vacation. According to the FBI 2019 Crime Report, 72% of burglaries occur when no one is home, so you can stop criminals before they enter if you get a friend or family member to house-sit for you.
Keep a Car in the Driveway
If you normally have a car parked in the driveway, it can look obvious when it’s gone for a long time. However, it can look just as bad if it snows or rains and your car is the only one still showing last week’s weather. So, if you can, ask a neighbor to park their car in your driveway instead.
Keep Up Maintenance
When you’re away for a long time, your grass doesn’t stop growing. An unkempt lawn can be a signal to criminals that no one is home. So, it’s a good idea to have a landscaper come by or hire the neighbor’s kids to mow your lawn for you.
Avoid Posting on Social Media
Criminals are on social media too, and they can use your posts to find out when you’re on vacation. So, it’s a good idea to refrain from posting selfies or broadcasting anything about your location on social media until after you get back home.
Test Your Smoke Detectors
To protect your home from fire while on vacation, test all the smoke alarms in your house and replace any dead batteries. If you want even more peace of mind while you’re away from home, a smart smoke detector will send you notifications whenever a fire breaks out or your batteries are running low.
For even more peace of mind, there are smart smoke alarms that can automatically contact emergency services when a fire breaks out, but you’ll need to pay a monthly subscription fee. If you don’t want to install a new smoke alarm, you can also add a smoke alarm listener to alert you whenever your traditional smoke alarms go off.
Set the Right Temperature
If you live in a northern state, the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety recommends keeping your thermostat set to at least 55 degrees when you leave home to prevent your pipes from freezing. By installing a smart thermostat, you can monitor the temperature remotely, and save money on your energy bills.
You can also get a smart flood detector to alert you whenever a pipe starts leaking, so you can catch it before it turns into a bigger problem.
Keep It Dry
While you are on vacation, it’s important to protect your home from getting moldy. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends keeping the relative humidity below 60% by using air conditioners and de-humidifiers. There are even some smart dehumidifiers that can be controlled and monitored remotely.
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