Churchill magazine

How to secure your home while you're on holiday

Updated on: 4 May 2021

holiday home security

Before you head off on holiday, take care of security arrangements for your home.

Our top 12 tips should help you avoid the anxiety of knowing your home is sitting empty for a couple of weeks, meaning you can concentrate on relaxing.

1. Lock up
Lock all windows and doors, not forgetting any garages, shed or other outbuildings.

2. Set the security alarm if you have one
If it’s a monitored alarm, don’t forget to give your monitoring station the details of the key holder.

3. Cancel deliveries
Cancel deliveries of milk, newspapers or vegetable boxes – make sure you do this discreetly or over the phone. Don’t tell the whole shop you’re going away.

4. Put valuables out of sight
Make sure you move things like your laptop and car keys out of the way of prying eyes.

5. Make your home look occupied
Invest in some timer switches to turn lights and a radio on and off.

6. Sort your post
Avoid a build-up of post inside your front door by getting a neighbour to move it or asking the Royal Mail to hold on to your letters until you return, using its Keepsafe service.

7. Occupy the driveway
If you have a drive, then ask a neighbour to park there occasionally – it will make it look as though people are coming and going.

8. Enlist the help of neighbourhood watch
Ask members to keep an eye on your property.

9. Mow your lawn before you go
If it looks overgrown, burglars might correctly suspect you're away.

10. Put away tools or ladders
They could be used to force entry to your home.

11. Get a safe
Use a home safe for important personal documents and your most valuable items such as jewellery.

12. Security mark your belongings
This makes them easier to identify if taken.

Remember, having home insurance can also give you peace of mind in case something should happen to your home while you're away. Just click here to see what's available at Churchill.

Related articles

Baby at safety gate
Home

How to child-proof your home

Churchill looks at ways to help you spot hidden hazards and keep your children safe at home.
A fire burns in a fire pit.
Home

How to stay fire-safe in your garden

With summer just around the corner, here's our top tips on how to barbecue safely in your garden.
Spot subsidence
Home

How to spot subsidence

How to look out for subsidence in your home and know which steps you should take.