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Experiencing a break-in can be both devastating and inconvenient. Not only does it create a profound sense of violation leading to anxiety about feeling unsafe in one’s own home, but the aftermath also involves navigating insurance claims, redoing important documents, and dealing with the financial burden of replacing stolen items that might not be fully covered.
Following a burglary, many people become concerned about leaving the house, fearing burglars will invade their personal space again. But it’s critical that we still venture out and live our normal lives or even take an extended vacation.
Burglars typically target homes that appear empty and vulnerable, so creating the impression that someone is home can be one of your best lines of defense. Here are six proven strategies to make your home look lived-in, even when you’re away.
Use smart lighting to mimic natural living patterns.
The telltale sign of an empty home is darkness or lights that stay on continuously for days. Smart lighting systems allow you to create realistic lighting patterns that simulate normal household activity. Program different lights to turn on and off at various times throughout the evening, so it looks like someone inside the house is moving from room to room. Kitchen lights might come on around dinner time, living room lights in the evening, and bedroom lights later at night. Some advanced smart lighting systems even adjust based on sunset times and can create random variations to avoid predictable patterns that burglars might notice.
In addition to timers, you can use remote lighting via your smartphone to control and vary when lights go on and off throughout the day no matter where you are. If you have a limited budget, simple outlet timers can achieve similar results. Place them on table lamps in visible windows and set them to activate during evening hours. Just be sure to vary the time; you don’t want all the lights to turn on and off at exactly the same time every day.
Keep electronics and appliances running with timers.
Set up timers or smart plugs to turn on your television or stereo during peak evening hours when people typically watch television or listen to music. The flickering light from a television screen can be visible through window treatments; when combined with the subtle sound, it can appear as if someone is home enjoying their evening. If you can program devices to run during different time slots, the more authentic it will appear.
You can even find a FakeTV device that replicates the flickering light of the screen. In addition, program smart thermostats and HVAC equipment to simulate normal household usage patterns.
Maintain your lawn and landscaping.
An overgrown lawn is a dead giveaway that nobody is home. It’s critical that you keep your landscape looking as if someone is actively caring for the property, so it doesn’t appear neglected and abandoned. If you have security system signs, they should be visible, not blocked.
Think ahead and arrange for lawn care services right before you take a vacation and to continue regularly while you are gone. If you have a sprinkler system, keep it running on a regular schedule. Dead plants or brown grass patches that develop during your absence are clear indicators that no one is caring for the lawn.
Create movement with automated window treatments.
Smart motorized blinds and curtains can be programmed to open in the morning and close in the evening, just as they would if you were at home following your normal routine. This visible activity from outside the home suggests that someone is inside. There are also options to adjust window treatments remotely through your smartphone, such as the Hunter Douglas PowerView Automation, Pella Insynctive series, and Lutron Serena.
If automated window treatments aren’t in your budget, you can always ask a friend, neighbor, or pet sitter to adjust the curtains or blinds throughout the house occasionally to show some variation in appearance while you are away.
Set up technology to make typical family sounds.
Noise coming from inside the house can be an effective crime deterrent. Even better, If burglars hear conversations or music, they will most likely assume someone is home. Besides simply leaving a radio or television on all day, you can purchase some clever tech tools to add to the sounds of daily living.
Try an app that plays sounds, such as Calm or Headspace. Smart speakers allow you to play recorded sounds of daily activities, such as conversations or pet noises, right from your phone. Next, consider installing a motion-activated dog-barking alarm or scream box that will be sure to send burglars running in the other direction. Finally, if you have a smart doorbell, you can answer the door remotely and tell visitors you are stuck in the bathroom or busy doing work and can’t come to the door right now.
Coordinate with family or neighbors.
There’s also a simple, old-fashioned solution: ask a nearby relative, friend, or neighbor to back you up. Request that they park in your driveway, walk around your property occasionally, take in the mail and packages, bring in the trash cans, and maybe even lounge on your porch or patio while you are away. This is one of the best ways to create the appearance of normal household traffic and activity since actual people will be on and off the property.
