Going on vacation should be about having fun, not worrying about home invasions. Unfortunately, burglars strike over a million homes annually, most of which are unoccupied at the time. The good news is that you can make your home look like it’s occupied to prevent burglars from targeting your home while you’re away. It’s all about creating an illusion.
To get burglars to think you’re home, answer your doorbell through a mobile app, keep remote-controlled lights on and off, and leave the TV on a random series. You should also make the house look occupied by removing newspapers, keeping cars in the driveway, and turning on the porch lights.
Throughout this article, you’ll learn the top ways to make burglars think your home is occupied. You’ll also find out what burglars look for in a potential target.
Answer Your Doorbell From a Smartphone
There are many ways to answer your door from your smartphone, laptop, or tablet. Some services even connect to smartwatches. One suggestion is to get a mobile doorbell speaker that enables you to talk to anyone who either ring the bell or is sensed by the device as they get within a certain range. These devices will make them think you’re home rather than hundreds of miles away.
You can take this suggestion a step further by getting a built-in camera or alarm with your doorbell. You’ll be able to see everyone who comes to your front door to get an accurate description of questionable individuals. Contact your neighbors if they notice similar behavior around the neighborhood.
Note: Not all mobile doorbell systems require someone to ring your doorbell to use the speaker. If you notice someone looking into your home without going near the front door, you can speak through the doorbell to scare them away. They’re much less likely to approach a stranger in their home compared to an empty house with no deterrence.
PRO-TIP: To check out the best-selling Amazon doorbells accessible from your smartphone (with over 133,308 sold, 4.7 stars), click here
Turn on the TV While You’re Away
Reader’s Digest recommends turning on your favorite Netflix series while you’re away. You can turn it on repeat to keep a long series playing the entire time you’re gone. The flashing lights and sounds coming through the curtains will almost always deter potential thieves and home invaders.
Remember, most smart TV apps and streaming services will automatically turn off after a few hours. They typically prompt you to find out if someone’s still watching. This message is designed to prevent unnecessary energy usage, but you can almost always turn off the prompt. Netflix, HULU, and Prime Video all let you play shows indefinitely under the proper settings.
Keep Music Playing in the House
Playing music on a TV, stereo, or computer can make it look like you’re always home. However, there are a few things you should know beforehand:
- Ensure the playlist is long enough to keep it from repeating too often.
- Ensure the bass isn’t too loud or unsettling to your neighbors, especially during the nighttime.
- Consider hooking up your Spotify playlist (or another music streaming service) to let you change the music during different times of the day.
Combining music with the aforementioned TV suggestion is an excellent way to bring life to your house when you’re gone.
Remote-Controlled Lights
Lighting is one of the most effective ways to make burglars think you’re home. You can use smart lights from your iPhone or Android phone via various apps. These apps let you set schedules for the lights, regardless of whether they’re inside or outside.
A cheaper alternative to smart lighting controlled via your smartphones would be sensor light bulbs that automatically turn on when it’s dark. Don’t just install these light bulbs outdoors, consider a few areas inside your house well, particularly in the living areas – to mimic you switching your lights on inside your house.
If you’re not sure what these are, learn more about these cheaper options here
If you want to illuminate your home and get a top-notch alarm system, you can use ADT without a monitoring service. That way, if anyone tries to enter your house (with or without the lights on), you’ll know immediately. Many alarm services contact the police if they notice someone breaking into the building.
Have Someone Get Your Mail and Newspaper
Burglars often look for signs of activity. Many criminals stake out a place for a few days to know your routine. If they see newspapers piling up or mailboxes overflowing, they’ll know there’s no one home. It’s best to ask a friend or family member to get the newspaper and mail frequently to prevent your house from looking unoccupied.
If you don’t have anyone who can reliably get your newspaper often enough, consider canceling subscription services until you get home.
You can request not to have the newspaper delivered while you’re away, or ask if you can have your mail delivered to a P.O. box that you can open when you get back.
Make The House Look Occupied
One of the best ways to deter potential burglars is to make your house look occupied. You don’t need high-tech devices or fancy alarms to keep your house functioning while you’re away. However, it helps to have a friend or two who can perform a few tasks.
Try these suggestions:
- Park a car or two in the driveway. Most burglars notice a home might be empty when there aren’t any vehicles parked in front of the building. You could have a friend take your car for a spin around the block so it moves the car to a different spot every couple of days if you’re worried about it looking too stationary. Besides, this could also prevent your car battery from running flat.
- Keep your sprinklers, pool pumps, and other outdoor equipment on timers. This method will suggest that you might be turning them on and off, even while you’re not home. Burglars will likely look for an easier target than a house with various appliances activating regularly.
- Hire lawn care services or exterior house cleaning services if you’ll be gone for a long time. These companies will make your house look clean and tidy rather than abandoned. If a burglar sees your house slowly getting messier and the grass isn’t cut, they might know nobody’s home. You may not want to tell your garden service that you’re away on vacation either.
- Keep curtains and blinds natural, closing all could be too obvious. So, the windows that don’t reveal too much of the valuables in a room, consider keeping those curtains open.
- Stage some routines in advance. A few months before your vacation or being away, set your home lighting up so it looks the same when you’re away ie. while you’re still home, leave the same night lights on that will be on in your absence eg. the bathroom or toilet light, a specific living room light.
Final Thoughts
Whether you prefer mobile options (lights, doorbells, and cameras) or in-person adjustments (guests, TV, etc.), there are plenty of ways to deter burglars while you’re away. We highly recommend mounting cameras around your home (that are accessible remotely) to know if something’s wrong. You can contact the local authorities if someone snoops around your house.
