How to Protect Your Home While You’re Away: Simple Ways to Make an Empty House Look Occupied

Whether you’re heading out for a weekend in the mountains, escaping Calgary’s winter for somewhere warm, or leaving on an extended vacation, there’s always that moment after you leave the house when you wonder: Did I lock the back door?

Locking your doors and windows is an important first step, but there’s another simple home security strategy that homeowners sometimes overlook: make your home look occupied while you’re away.

A house that appears lived-in can be less obvious as an empty property. And you don’t necessarily need an expensive or complicated smart-home security system to do it.

From lighting timers and snow removal to mail collection and help from your neighbours, here are some practical ways Calgary homeowners can make their homes look occupied while travelling.

1. Use Light Timers to Make Your Home Look Occupied

Leaving the same lamp on continuously while you’re away may seem like a good idea, but a light that stays on day and night can actually make it fairly obvious that nobody is home.

Instead, try to recreate your normal lighting habits.

Use smart bulbs, smart plugs or traditional outlet timers to have different lights turn on and off throughout the evening. For example, you could have kitchen lights on around dinner, living room lights later in the evening and bedroom lights turn on closer to bedtime.

The objective is simple: make your home's lighting patterns look similar to the way they would if you were actually there.

2. Use a TV or Radio Periodically

Light isn’t the only sign that a house is occupied.

A completely dark and silent home night after night may stand out, particularly if the surrounding homes have regular activity.

A smart plug or timer can be used to turn a television or radio on for portions of the day or evening. A television can be particularly useful because its changing light can create the appearance of normal activity inside the home.

There’s no need to have something running around the clock. Again, the idea is to imitate the way your household normally operates.

3. Keep the Exterior of Your Home Maintained

One of the easiest ways to make a home look occupied has nothing to do with what’s happening inside.

Keep the exterior looking maintained.

For Calgary homeowners, this is especially important during winter.

Fresh snow that remains untouched on a driveway, walkway and front steps for several days can make it more apparent that nobody has been coming or going.

If you’re travelling during the winter, arrange for someone to shovel your sidewalk, clear your driveway and generally keep an eye on the property.

The same principle applies during warmer months. If you're going away for an extended period, consider arranging lawn care and basic yard maintenance.

4. Avoid Leaving Blinds in the Same Position

Most of us open and close blinds and curtains throughout the day without even thinking about it.

When you're away, however, they can remain in exactly the same position for days.

If your home has automated blinds, consider scheduling them to open and close at appropriate times. If not, a trusted friend, neighbour or family member checking on your property can occasionally adjust them.

You don't need to change every window every day. The goal is simply to maintain some of the normal signs of an occupied home.

5. Don't Let Mail and Packages Accumulate

A pile of packages at the front door is one of the more obvious signs that nobody has been home.

Before leaving for a vacation, consider pausing unnecessary deliveries and arranging for someone you trust to collect your mail, newspapers, flyers and packages.

This also helps keep your entrance tidy and prevents valuable deliveries from sitting unattended outside.

If you're expecting an important delivery while you're away, see whether you can reschedule it or arrange for a neighbour to collect it.

6. Ask a Neighbour, Friend or Family Member to Stop By

Technology is helpful, but sometimes the simplest solution is actual human activity.

If you have someone you trust nearby, ask them to periodically visit your property.

They could:

• Park a vehicle in your driveway occasionally
• Bring garbage and recycling bins in or out
• Collect packages and mail
• Shovel snow or clear the walkway
• Adjust blinds or curtains
• Turn different lights on or off
• Walk around the property and check that everything looks normal

Even occasional activity can help a home maintain its usual lived-in appearance.

It also gives you the added benefit of having someone physically checking that everything is okay while you're gone.

7. Use Your Existing Smart-Home Features

If you've invested in smart-home technology, vacation is a great time to put it to work.

Smart lighting, video doorbells, exterior cameras, automated blinds and connected plugs can all help you monitor or manage aspects of your home remotely.

Depending on the technology you use, you may be able to check your front door, receive alerts, change lighting schedules or respond remotely to someone who rings the doorbell.

Before travelling, make sure your devices are working properly and that you can access them remotely.

What Should You Do Before Leaving Your Calgary Home for Vacation?

A good vacation home security routine doesn't need to be complicated. Before leaving, walk through your home and think about what normally changes when you're there.

Lights turn on and off. Blinds move. Cars come and go. Snow gets shovelled. Packages disappear from the front step.

Those everyday signs of activity are what you're trying to maintain.

A simple vacation home checklist might include checking doors and windows, setting lighting timers, arranging mail and package collection, organizing snow removal or lawn care, checking smart-home devices, and asking someone you trust to periodically visit the property.

One Important Calgary Homeowner Reminder: Check Your Insurance Policy

If you're leaving your Calgary home unattended for an extended period, there is another important step that has nothing to do with making the property look occupied: check your home insurance policy before you leave.

Insurance policies can contain requirements related to homes that are vacant or unoccupied for a certain period, particularly during the winter when frozen pipes and water damage are concerns.

The specific requirements depend on your insurer and policy, so check directly with your insurance provider before travelling. You may need to arrange for someone to inspect the home at particular intervals or take other precautions while you're away.

The Bottom Line: Make Your Home Look Lived-In

Protecting your home while you're on vacation doesn't necessarily require an elaborate security setup.

The most practical approach is often a combination of simple measures: secure the property, create normal-looking activity, keep the exterior maintained, prevent deliveries from accumulating, use the technology you already own, and have someone you trust check on the house.

For Calgary homeowners, seasonal conditions add another consideration. A driveway covered in untouched snow can be just as telling as a pile of packages at the front door.

So before your next trip, spend a few minutes thinking about your home from the outside looking in.

If you weren't home, would it be obvious?

A little planning before you leave can help your home continue to look lived-in while you're off enjoying your vacation.

Quick Vacation Home Checklist for Calgary Homeowners

Before leaving your home for a trip:

• Lock exterior doors and windows
• Set interior lights on timers or smart schedules
• Arrange for packages and mail to be collected
• Have someone check the property periodically
• Arrange snow removal in winter or lawn care in summer
• Avoid leaving blinds completely unchanged for an extended period
• Check cameras, video doorbells and other smart-home devices
• Arrange for garbage and recycling bins to be moved when necessary
• Check your home insurance requirements for an unoccupied property
• Leave a trusted local contact with the information they need in case something happens

Then go enjoy the trip. Your home can handle things from here.