Security for Empty Homes: What Police Advice Says

An empty home sends a message whether you want it to or not: no lights, post on the mat, the same car in the same place for a month. The worry for any owner is that someone reads that message before you do. This page sets out how police crime-prevention bodies in the United Kingdom and Australia describe burglars' choices, then covers occupancy cues, locks and lighting, alarms, neighbours and keyholders, key control and what to avoid posting online. It also says plainly where the advice runs out. Crime patterns and legal rules differ by country, so your local police and your insurer have the final word.

How burglars choose targets

The Metropolitan Police in London describes burglars as often opportunistic thieves who look for any opening they can use, especially doors and windows that are open, unlocked or easy to force. It adds several points that matter to an owner who is away. Burglars are aware of the times when someone is expected to be away, such as holidays. They typically do not want to be seen or heard, and if they feel a neighbour or passerby would notice them, they are more likely to feel exposed and move on. Packaging from expensive purchases left outside is a giveaway. Sheds and garages are often weak points because they hold tools that help with getting into the house.

ACT Policing, the police service of Australia's capital territory, says most home break-ins happen during the day and that burglars usually look for unlocked doors and open windows. It says that if a burglar cannot see an easy way in, they often will not try. It adds that break-ins often increase over holiday periods.

Notice the pattern. Both services describe a search for low effort and low risk, not an elaborate plan. That is useful, because it means the goal is modest: a house that is a slightly worse choice than the next one.

Occupancy cues that help

The signs of absence are small and repetitive, and the fixes are cheap.

• Lights and sound on timers. The Metropolitan Police advises leaving lights and a radio on a timer to make the property appear occupied. Victoria Police in Australia adds that the times should be varied, which makes sense: a pattern that never changes is itself a sign.
• Post, bins and deliveries. Victoria Police suggests a neighbour or friend collect your mail, including junk mail, or that mail be diverted, and that someone take your bins out and bring them in. The Metropolitan Police advises cancelling newspaper and milk deliveries.
• Curtains and the driveway. The Metropolitan Police suggests asking neighbours to close curtains after dark and to park on your drive. The aim is to remove the plain signs of an unused house.
• Tidy outside. ACT Policing recommends keeping lawns maintained and hedges and bushes cut back so the front and back of the house can be seen and there is nowhere to hide.
• Packaging and valuables. Break down boxes from new items before putting them out, and keep valuables out of sight from windows.

Locks and lighting at a general level

Locks work best when they are used. The Metropolitan Police advises closing and locking all doors and windows, double-locking where possible, and locking side gates, sheds and garages. Victoria Police goes further and recommends deadlocks on all external doors and windows and locking internal and external garage doors, gates, sheds, pet doors and skylights. ACT Policing notes that a cheap fix such as a dowel in a window or sliding-door runner can be as effective as a lock for that opening.

Lighting is about being seen. West Yorkshire Police says that burglars like to work unseen and prefer empty houses, and that a dark house signals that the house is empty and that a burglar can operate unseen. It recommends lighting one or two well-used rooms, with at least one and preferably two visible from the road, and resetting timers as daylight hours shorten. What matters, it says, is the burglar's impression of being seen, and privacy for you is also privacy for a burglar. Victoria Police and ACT Policing both list sensor lighting that comes on with movement.

Alarms, cameras and signs

ACT Policing states that most homes that are broken into do not have a security alarm, and suggests stickers or signs warning of an alarm, a dog or Neighbourhood Watch. Victoria Police lists a monitored alarm system, cameras and a security screen door among its measures. The honest limit is that a system only helps if someone responds to it. An alarm in an empty house depends on a monitoring arrangement, a keyholder or a neighbour who can act, and the rules about monitoring, call-outs and police response differ between countries. Check what is permitted and what is practical where your property is, and ask your insurer whether they attach conditions to any of it.

Neighbours, keyholders and key control

People are often the most effective measure. The Metropolitan Police advises getting a trusted neighbour to keep an eye on the property, or joining a Neighbourhood or resident Watch scheme. ACT Policing suggests telling neighbours you are going away so they can watch the home and raise the alarm if they see anything suspicious. Victoria Police suggests registering your absence, a service specific to Victoria; elsewhere an equivalent may not exist. If you want someone paid and accountable rather than a favour from a friend, choosing and briefing a property manager covers what to ask.

Key control matters more than most owners think. ACT Policing says to never leave keys hidden outside the home, and to leave them with a trusted neighbour or friend or use a good quality lock box or key safe. Victoria Police says to remove any spare keys hidden outside and not to leave keys in window locks. The Metropolitan Police says to keep handbags away from the letterbox or cat flap and to hide all keys, including car keys, because a thief can hook keys through even a small opening. For keyholders, a simple written log of who has a key helps. After a burglary, ACT Policing advises checking all locks and considering whether to replace them.

What not to post online

The Metropolitan Police's going-away advice includes making sure holiday posts are not public and are only seen by friends. Victoria Police is stricter: do not advertise your holiday plans online, and do not upload holiday photos until after you return. A photo from the airport tells everyone who can see it that the house is empty.

Honest limits

No set of measures guarantees anything. Police advice is aimed at reducing opportunity, not removing it, and a determined thief may get in whatever you do. The Metropolitan Police notes that many burglars return to homes they have already burgled because the owner did not upgrade security afterwards, so a first incident is a reason to act, not a one-off. Even good habits fade if nobody checks that the timers still work. A short regular inspection, as set out in the arrival and departure checklists, is part of security as much as maintenance. For the wider picture of risks, see looking after a home you are not living in.

The short version

Police bodies describe burglars as opportunists who prefer low effort and low risk. An empty home that looks used, lit, overlooked and well locked, with keys under proper control and no public announcement of your absence, is a poorer target than the next one. No measure is a guarantee, so pair security with a regular check by someone who can act.