How to keep your home safe while you're away at Christmas: 13 checks

Hello, and happy almost-holidays! Getting out of the door for Christmas is chaos enough, so let's make the "is the house OK?" worry the easy part. Ten calm minutes with this list, and you can enjoy the mince pies without wondering about the back door.

23 December, 7.40am. The car is packed for five days at Gethin's parents' in Swansea. The tree lights are still twinkling. A pile of empty boxes from a new TV and a games console is stacked by the front door, ready for the recycling. Lulu, who is twelve, has just posted a photo of the boot captioned "BYE FOR 5 DAYS". And Gethin cannot find the back-door key.

Thandi sits on the stairs with her list. "Ten minutes. Nobody gets in the car."

Secured by Design, the official police security initiative, says most burglars are opportunists who want to get in and out as quickly as possible, so a home that looks occupied and hard work is a real deterrent. Here are the 13 things Thandi checked.

Before you pack

1. Don't announce the trip online

   

   The Metropolitan Police says that if you post about your holiday, make sure your posts aren't public and only friends can see them. Our advice: save the holiday photos until you're home. Lulu's post became "friends only". Then it became "deleted".

2. Ask one trusted neighbour to keep an eye out

   

   The Met suggests getting a trusted neighbour to keep an eye on your home, close the curtains after dark and even park on your drive. Harjit next door walks past twice a day with Pickle, his scruffy terrier, anyway. He said yes before Thandi finished the sentence.

   Try saying: "We're away from the 23rd to the 28th. Would you mind bringing the post in and closing the front curtains at dusk? Park on our drive if it helps. Here's my number, and next time you're away, I'll do the same for you."

3. Sort out the post and deliveries

   

   Neighbourhood Watch says a pile of post on the doormat is a clear sign the occupants are away. Ask your neighbour to clear it, or use Royal Mail's Keepsafe service, which Neighbourhood Watch says keeps your mail for up to two months. The Met also says to cancel newspaper and milk deliveries.

4. Hide the presents and disguise the boxes

   

   Secured by Design says don't leave presents and valuables on view in front of a window, and don't advertise new things by putting empty boxes out for collection: disguise them, fold them inside out or put them inside a plain box. The TV box went back in the hallway cupboard until January.

Make it look lived in

5. Put a lamp and a radio on timers

   

   The Met and Secured by Design both suggest timer plugs for lamps and a radio so the house seems occupied. Secured by Design also mentions light-sensitive bulbs that come on as it gets dark. Gethin set the lamp for 4pm to 11pm, which is roughly when he'd be watching the telly anyway.

6. Leave the curtains open in the day

   

   Neighbourhood Watch says drawing your curtains in the daytime can suggest your home is empty. Leave them open when you go, and ask your neighbour to close them after dark, as the Met suggests.

7. Keep the outside looking normal

   

   Our advice: ask your neighbour to bring the bins back in after collection day, because a bin left out for days is another sign nobody's home. Keep tools and ladders put away too (see No. 10). Harjit says it's a fair trade for the mince pies.

Lock up properly

8. Lock every door and window, and take the keys out

   

   Neighbourhood Watch says one in three burglaries happens because of an open or unlocked window or door. Lock them all, use deadlocks as well as latches, and take the key out once you've locked up. Secured by Design says to remove the keys from all windows and doors and put them somewhere safe. Our tip for uPVC doors: lift the handle fully before you turn the key, or the lock may not engage properly.

9. Keep keys away from the letterbox, and lose the spare under the mat

   

   The Met warns that a thief can hook keys or bags through even a small opening like a letterbox or cat flap. Neighbourhood Watch says never leave spare keys in obvious places such as under the mat. Gethin found the back-door key. In his trouser pocket. Obviously.

10. Lock the shed and side gate, and put the ladder away

    

    The Met says keep side gates locked and your shed secure, because sheds often hold tools a burglar can use, and never leave tools lying around. Secured by Design adds: put ladders and garden tools away, and if you store Christmas food, drink or presents in a garage or shed, keep them out of sight and locked up.

11. Set the alarm, and give your neighbour your number

    

    If you have an intruder alarm, the Met and Secured by Design both say set it. Our advice: show your neighbour what it sounds like and make sure they have your number. If they ever see someone breaking in, the police say a crime happening right now, like a house burglary, is a 999 call.

Home safety while you're gone

12. Switch off and unplug the fairy lights

    

    Fire services, backing the national Fire Kills campaign, say switch off and unplug fairy lights before you go to bed or leave the house, use only one plug per socket, and turn off plugs that aren't in use, except things designed to stay on, like the freezer. Lulu got the job of unplugging the tree. She did not love it.

13. Protect your pipes

    

    Southern Water suggests leaving the heating on low, or scheduling it to come on for an hour or two each day, if you're away in cold weather, and finding your stop tap and checking it works. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) says the stopcock is usually under the kitchen sink, that you could consider turning the water off there when you go away, and that you should check your home insurance for rules on leaving a home unoccupied. Our guide to preventing and thawing frozen pipes has the rest.

    At 7.52am, Thandi ticked the last box. They reached Swansea by lunchtime, and on Boxing Day Harjit sent a photo: post on the hall table, curtains closed, Pickle on guard. Nobody got burgled. Lulu reposted the boot photo on the 28th.

Before-you-leave checks at a glance

Source: Metropolitan Police, Checklist for securing your home when you leave it; Neighbourhood Watch, Shell; Secured by Design, Ensure your home is secure whilst you're on holiday and Festive safety: Christmas gifts; Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service; Southern Water, Prepare your home for winter; Association of British Insurers, January 2024 (all read 12 November 2026).

Before-you-leave checklist

• Nothing posted publicly about the trip, and a neighbour has my number.
• Deliveries cancelled, post sorted, present boxes hidden or folded.
• Lamp and radio on timers, curtains open, bins and ladder sorted.
• Every door and window locked, keys out of locks and away from the letterbox, shed and gate locked, alarm set.
• Fairy lights unplugged, heating on low or a timer, and I know where the stopcock is.

If you come home to a break-in

• If you think the burglar may still be inside, don't go in. Go somewhere safe and call 999.
• If it's already over, report it to the police online or by calling 101.
• Try not to touch, move or clean anything the burglar may have handled, and photograph any damage before repairs, as Avon and Somerset Police advises.
• Then call your bank if cards are missing, and your insurer. Our home emergency kit guide has a torch-and-paperwork list worth having ready.

Your turn: what's the most elaborate "we're definitely home" trick your family has pulled before going away? A radio tuned to the shipping forecast? A cardboard cut-out in the window? Tell us in the comments.