Preventing home burglaries during holidays

The holiday season should be a time to relax and celebrate with family and friends. However, it is still important to be proactive about keeping your home and community safe, especially if you're going away.

This page provides some tips on on how to help keep your home secure while you’re away on holidays. You can also download this information as a fact sheet and use it as a checklist.

Keep up appearances

• If possible, consider a house-sitter to look after your home while you’re away.
• Put a stop on your mail or ensure it is collected regularly and not left overflowing in your letterbox.
• Cancel any newspaper subscriptions – uncollected newspapers can tell burglars you’re not at home.
• Arrange for a neighbour to take your bins out and in.
• Ask a neighbour to occasionally park their car in your driveway.
• Arrange for a neighbour or friend to maintain your garden and mow your lawn.
• Turn down the volume on your telephone so burglars cannot hear it ringing.
• Set up a timer for a lamp or lights to come on at night.
• Set up a timer for a radio to turn on and off throughout the day.
• Be careful when posting holiday plans on social media – don’t advertise that your home is vacant.

Lock up and improve security

• Install locks on all doors and windows. 
• Install and activate an alarm system. 
• Lock away tools and other items which could be used in a burglary. 
• Use the Preventing Burglaries From Homes Fact Sheet as a checklist to secure your home before you go away.

Additional resources

Download and submit an Absence from Residence form (External link) to your local police station.

Notifying police of your absence does not guarantee the security of your home, and it should be considered as an addition to the advice on this page.

Contact

If you require immediate police attendance, call police on Triple Zero (000).

If you have any information regarding a crime, call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.