What do people in the UK do to keep their house safe when they’re away for a few months?
Posted by Extension_Pizza4278@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 78 comments
Hey, just wanted to ask something.
I’m heading to the US for around 2–3 months and my place will be empty. Normally, I wouldn’t think much of it, but there have been a few thefts on my street recently, which has made me a bit uneasy.
I’ve got friends, but they’re not really in a position to look after my place, so I’m not sure what to do.
What do people usually do in this situation? Just alarms and cameras, or anything else that actually helps?
Fluffy_Ad2274@reddit
Male sure also that your home insurance covers the entire period you're gone for - not just in terms of break ins, but also for things like water tank dropping through the ceiling etc. it's bad enough dealing with any of these things, but exponentially worse when your insurer then says you're not covered because under your policy, your house can be unoccupied for X days, but you've been gone X+1.
ButterscotchSure6589@reddit
If you have a leak or similar, the first thing your insurance company will ask is to see your itinerary. Even if you're on day 2 of a 90-day trip, and your insurance is only for 60 days. They will not pay out.
Inside-Definition-42@reddit
That’s not true. They can’t base a rejection on a future travel itinerary!
However if the T’s and C’s state you can’t be away for more than 30 days you can’t claim on day 31+.
ButterscotchSure6589@reddit
If you book a 90 day holiday with 30 day insurance, you are not covered at all. A very expensive lesson for some people.
Inside-Definition-42@reddit
Wrong……
From Direct Line Home Insurance Policy Booklet
They do ask to be informed before you have been away for 60 days. You could call them on day 59 though.
Booking a 3 month holiday and claiming after 30 days is 100% within their Ts and Cs
ItsDominare@reddit
That's one example, others will have different terms. Some will absolutely start applying unoccupancy terms immediately if the expected date of return is more than 30/60 days away. OP needs to check their specific policy wording (or just ring the insurer and ask).
Inside-Definition-42@reddit
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof……
I’ve come with receipts which proves their blanket statement is not true in 100% of my randomly selected company Ts and Cs check.
Who are these “some” in your claim they “WILL absolutely apply unoccupancy terms….”?! Show us one company? One term? One condition?
ItsDominare@reddit
Sure. Ageas home insurance policy wording, definition of "unoccupied", page 8:
Policy Expert policy book, definition of "unoccupied", page 10
I could go on, obviously, but you get the idea. The point, as I said previously, is that it varies from one insurer to the next so OP needs to check their specific policy.
Inside-Definition-42@reddit
Thanks for the effort in replying.
For policy expert I think your interpretation is incorrect. They say: -
The part you quoted would be relevant if you moved out of the house. If you are not living there anymore unoccupancy starts from the day you move out.
With Ageas more ambiguous IMHO, but you might be right.
ItsDominare@reddit
During the discussion I've tried not to be 'that guy' by just appealing to authority and going "trust me bro" but I think at this point I should disclose that I'm a home insurance product manager, so I've written a lot of this type of wording myself as well as read it.
There's quite a bit of variance in the market around unoccupancy terms and it causes a disproportionate volume of complaints because the losses involved can be very costly. The biggest problem is, of course, escape of water - and that's why one of the most commonly endorsed requirements is weekly inspections when you're away.
One other nuance which you may find interesting is that even if the insurer is one of those whose wording insists the terms apply right from the first day of unoccupancy, the financial ombudsman tends not to support that view when complaints are escalated to them. If the incident happens within the first 30 days the FOS generally say the claim should be paid.
Inside-Definition-42@reddit
Very interesting and thanks for sharing. I’m semi-well versed in reading contracts, but distanced from the insurance industry.
On my ‘ambiguous’ point. Do you think insurers do this deliberately? In courts anything ambiguous goes against who wrote the contract.
But it’s maybe a net benefit to insurance companies to be ambiguous because most customers won’t escalate it to ombudsman / court?
Voeld123@reddit
This is an interesting and unexpected interpretation of terms and conditions.
If insurers are using it then it's important to understand the difference.
smellyfeet25@reddit
good advice
Affectionate-Day8307@reddit
And your mortgage. I think some lenders insist on minimum occupation times.
DesperateSwordfish88@reddit
I usually ask my neighbours to have a look out. Valuable are kept at my parents. I leave my hallway lights on.
Dead_Bones001@reddit
Make sure your grass is being cut. A messy garden is a sign no one is there.
ItsDominare@reddit
If you're worried specifically about theft, you could consider removing any valuables you're not taking with you and keeping them with a friend or relative while you're gone.
Aside from that, lots of good advice in this thread already. Key points are:
Speak to your home insurance provider and find out what the additional terms are. As your trip sounds like it'll be longer than 60 days you are almost guaranteed to get additional terms applied, and they may also stipulate things like arranging a weekly inspection.
Turn off the water supply at your stopcock and drain the water system by turning on all taps and flushing all toilets.
Turn off the power if you can. If you can't because you need the freezer running etc, just do individual items.
Close the curtains. May seem counterintuitive but it's easier to figure out a house is empty when you can see in the windows.
Avoid posting during/about your holiday on social media which identifies you. Thieves use that to find empty houses.
Ensure all door and window locks are operational. These won't stop a determined thief of course, but they do deter casual/opportunistic ones.
FreudianWombat@reddit
howardgarden@reddit
mains water off, run the taps dry :)
FreudianWombat@reddit
Ah cheers forgot that- lowest tap wins!
Bec21-21@reddit
Do you know anyone who (or whose kid’s) live in shared housing? I always asked someone to come stay in my house. People who live in shared housing often jump at the chance to have a whole house to themselves.
Codders94@reddit
Turn your water off, last time I went away my toilet cistern started leaking and because the fucking thing tries to refill itself it just kept leaking.
The floor in the bathroom, downstairs ceiling and everything g beneath it all got rather wet.
Oh, and land mines.
pix1985@reddit
Get some Tapo smart plugs and put some lamps on timers, also have somebody go round just to move any post or parcelsz
KittyHalfEyes@reddit
Insured the fuck out of everything.
CurvePuzzleheaded361@reddit
We have alexa managing our home so all lights are on timers, we also have tvs/alexa screens that are on/off at certain times. We have cameras throughout the house as nothing beats the peace of mind of seeing your home is actually ok while you are away.
Mezcalico@reddit
Need more info - whereabouts do you live? What street do you live on? What dates are you going to be gone?
Famous_Specialist_44@reddit
Mother's maiden name, first pet, and date of birth too?
spritzreddit@reddit
yeah and since you are answering questions, make our life easier and tell us who you bank with, also for the isa and pension funds
Michael_Thompson_900@reddit
You can buy something called ‘switch bot’ which will automatically open and drawer your curtains.
Couple this with an inexpensive ring cam system and you should have peace of mind.
If you buy WiFi controlled lights, you can set your lights to come on and off at different times also.
The biggest giveaway will always be if parcels are left on your doorstep.
That’s all I can think of without building some elaborate Kevin McAllister style cardboard cutout people on strings.
Conscious-Ball8373@reddit
In our place, having the curtains reliably open and close would be a solid gold indication that we're not there.
Consistent-Theory681@reddit
So they're always closed, or always open?
foofly@reddit
About post. The Royal mail has a redirect service that OP can use for a few months,
Which-Particular-438@reddit
Family member comes in to house sit, and have cctv cameras linked to your phone at the front and back of your home. Sync the lights on a timer they turn on so it looks like someone is in.
Full-Suggestion-1320@reddit
Stop your post, have someone check the house at least once a week, inform your insurer. If possible have family stay for a week for the insurance, or return mid session.
Have lights on random settings, we also have electric blinds on timers, ask neighbour to put the bins out and keep an eye on your house.
Turn your water off
Don't have a taxi from your house to the airport travel from a friend's or neighbours home or get picked up a street away. Airport bus is great. Two relatives have been broken into whilst away and the source for the empty home information was the taxi firm.
Cameras in and around your home and a burglar alarm, lock doors and windows.
You can use a house sitting company but I don't suppose it's cheap.
Absolutely no social media posts until home, don't tell loads of people you are going.
Stealth_bummer_@reddit
I bought a timer and set my lamp in the front room to turn off/on at random (but sensible) times.
DogtasticLife@reddit
There’s a scam story I’ve been following on R4 where a man was working away for a while and came back to find someone had broken in changed the locks then “sold” the property to someone else. Used solicitors and everything, I believe it’s still being argued. But apparently you can do something via the Land Registry to ensure your home is not at risk. It’s extreme but this one case is not the only one.
Available-Nose-5666@reddit
We usually give our keys to a trusted family member to go and keep an eye on our home.
Definitely keep cameras around and inside the property if you haven’t done so already.
Chris-TT@reddit
Get house sitters. As long as you have an alright house, and its clean and liveable in get some free house sitters. Usually it's for pet care, but even without a dog or cat I would consider it for that length of trip. Just google free house sitters, read the reviews and see what you think. I might just have been lucky, but they've been fantastic for us, every time we have come home to an even cleaner house than we left, and I promise we do a proper spring clean before we leave.
cloud1445@reddit
I'd let my neighbour know I was going away if I was worried about theft in the area. Also, if there was time I'd get a ring doorbell so I could see who approached my house.
PaulaDeen21@reddit
Turn the water off, few lights on times, lock the door and try not to worry about it.
Dreadheaddanski@reddit
Timer light switch on a lamp to come on between 7pm and 11pm every evening
Baron_MM@reddit
We recently did 70 days away, as people have already mentioned we got specific house insurance as our existing policy would not cover it, in which it states: -
We installed an Amazon Ring system and had a relative visit once per week, it also wasn't that much more than our existing policy either.
anoamas321@reddit
Have a cat, get the neighbour or friend to feed it everyday
mellonians@reddit
Usually have someone to come stay. My uncle has been living a nomadic lifestyle all over the world like this. He's on some website where he meets people and then looks after their house for anything from couple of weeks to a few months. He's had chataux in France where he only had to log after an old blind dog to 3 bed semis in Eastbourne. Otherwise, a friend of mine who's just getting divorced from my best friend has been doing it for a few months but dog sitting. all decent houses, so if you happen to be in mid Sussex I might be able to help you out.
Ultimately for best peace of mind it's ideal to hand your place over to a homeless person to look after it! 🤣
Krismusic1@reddit
Leave the upstairs landing light on. Burglars hate this trick.
Nannyhirer@reddit
Trusted pet sitters and dog walkers in your area are a viable option to have a quick look around.
Nice-Independent-941@reddit
Trusted Housesitters is great, someone living in your home & looking after it
thatguyjames_uk@reddit
i have smart life door contacts and led lights, the are set to come on at random times and off
NoCold3997@reddit
I go away 2 months every year ..don't broadcast it on social media ( before I go or while im there) I have door cam and 2 other cameras and wired alarm with sensors etc also i arrange with trusted neighbour to put bins out .water plants if need be.
No_Chemist2922@reddit
For starters, don't make it look as if there's no one in the house.
Thieves don't spend their time camping around and looking if people are entering or leaving their houses generally, but if they happen to be passing by and they see that a house looks obviously vacant for some time (lots of unretrieved delivery parcels, plants not taken care of etc.), you're basically inviting them in.
Deterrence do help, for example I have a completely non-functional fake CCTV (those round-looking ones you often see attached to ceilings) near my entrance, just to let people think that I'm recording.
Also move valuables either out of the house or in places where they would take a lot of time to find (e.g., the toilet bowl's water storage area). But if you have nothing of value to steal, you don't really need to worry about theft.
172116@reddit
This is why we kept up the gardener, cleaner, and window cleaner at my gran's while she was in a care home towards the end of her life - alongside the neighbour picking up her mail, it made the house look lived in at a glance. They also picked up on problems - the window cleaner spotted some loose tiles after wind (and even arranged someone to fix them, which was a miracle as we were at the other end of the country!), and the cleaner noticed when we'd left the heating on full blast instead of timed after visiting for a few days.
Colleen987@reddit
If it’s that long we get house sitters has our insurance only covers a max of 30 days
prankishink@reddit
Get a few smart lights like Hue. You can set a variable schedule when you're away so it's not as obviously predictable as a timer plug. Also Ring Cam type things to monitor. You can set up to send notifications to your phone.
forestboy1@reddit
Leave a young child alone in your home and they will set up elaborate booby traps for any would be burglars.
hughesyg@reddit
I have motion sensor cameras front and back that light up. Ring doorbell.
I have lots of downstairs lights that are on a timer every evening.
Those are all just things for normal living, not for when away.
If I was away that long I’d probably turn my water off.
kittykat7931@reddit
Cameras both inside and out, lights on timers, having someone pop in a few times a week to check it over and make sure nothing was left on the doorstep/letterbox - If you have a trusted neighbour or friend who passes daily ask them to have a quick look to make sure nothing has been left sticking out of the letter box! If you can find someone to stay, even if it is only for short periods of time it will make people question further whether or not there is someone there - I was away for a month last year and I had someone stay for a block at the beginning then my friends and parents call in daily for the remainder but I have cats that needed feeding. My immediate neighbour on one side also knew I was away and kept an eye on the house for me.
GlumAd9856@reddit
Make sure that there's nothing valuable (+£500) in the house that is easy to steal. Take anything portable round to a friend/relative.
Finsup71@reddit
Sash Jammers, Lights on timers, 6ft gates where possible. Cameras accessible via a mobile phone app.
SilverellaUK@reddit
We had cameras, but we didn't post any information on line until we got back and we asked our neighbour to park a car on our drive.
Our next-door neighbour went away for a weekend and were burgled. She had posted on Facebook that her husband was taking her away for her birthday.
strodey123@reddit
We already have cameras, but we have a couple of timers for lamps you can set to different times for each day, we leave the alexas on loud enough to anyone near the doors or windows can hear it should they be scoping the place out, you can check them on your phone to see if there still on from time to time.
Otherwise just let a trusted neighbour know ill be away for a while, and they can use my driveway if they wish for their other cars
Mental_Body_5496@reddit
Neighbour popping in and changing which lights are on - opening closing curtains and removing mail from piling up putting the bins out etc - making it looked lived in etc.
But triple check your insurance and take out home care insurance with 24 hour call out etc.
LeadershipAble773@reddit
You can get plug in lamp things that make it look like there's a tv on. If you do that with a timer plug then you can programme it to come on at certain times. Might work better if you can have an alexa plug and set it up as a routine- maybe vary the routine every so often so its not always coming on at the same time each day
derekclysdale@reddit
I've found the best way, to avoid the issue of intruders and the like, is to not go on the internet and let everyone know what I'm doing and how "my place will be empty for 2-3 months". Also avoid posting pictures of yourself on social media whilst away, otherwise everyone will still know that your place is definitely empty. The very best thing you can do is take some photos in advance of yourself doing various houseworky jobs, a little bit of gardening and showing off a few meal deals here and there or even cooking. Then when your away post these pictures. Now everyone will think you still at home. Safe.
Kimbo-BS@reddit
Some people get a neighbour/family/friend to mow the lawn once in a while (the thinking being that an overgrown lawn is a sign the house is vacant).
Just-an-idiot-online@reddit
House sitter is safest bet, but if not possible then try to make it look occupied (timers for lights, redirect post if possible so it's not all piled in your porch, if you trust the neighbours tell them they can use your drive / bin if they need to so it goes out with the rest etc)
Johnnyfootwrinkle@reddit
Don't post it all over the internet that you're going away. Tell as few people as possible.
Sweet_History_4049@reddit
I'm on housesitters and I get someone to stay whilst I'm away.
when_music_hits@reddit
Not sure I'd be sharing that info.
realitycheck38@reddit
Ask a neighbour to keep an eye on it
Willz093@reddit
If your street is anything like mine you’ll have a call off Dorris in number 13 before they’ve even crossed the threshold!
Realistically though your best bet is something like a ring camera by any doors and maybe taking note of the real number for your local police station so you can call if something were to happen?
Unhappy_Clue701@reddit
We use timers for lights, and also one of the neighbours uses our driveway. It’s convenient for them and makes the place look more occupied if there’s a car coming and going.
Made_Up_Name_1@reddit
Lights that turn on and off. Alexa set to play the radio randomly.
A neighbour who comes in once a week to water plants and check all is ok.
We tell the relatives and the kids they can come and stay.
Make sure your budlings and contents insurance will cover the property left unoccupied for that long. Some are as short as 1 month. If that's the case you're going to need to arrange for someone to stay in the house for just one night so that the unoccupied time never gets to the insurer's limit.
AirlineSevere7456@reddit
I think having someone come and check the house every now and then is useful. I'd inform the neighbours. Leave some lights on. If you have any internal camera you can access while away, have one pointing at the front door at least.
anonoaw@reddit
Burglar alarms, cameras, lights on timers are the standard.
But you need to check your home insurance policy. Most policies won’t cover you if the house is vacant for 30 days.
NewSpell9343@reddit
I know someone that lives half here and half abroad and he just has friends, family and neighbours keep an eye on the house ans pop in every once in a while.
I suppose a ring doorbell and a couple of cameras can't hurt. I've heard that some people have one of those timer lamps to trick people into thinking someone is at home in the evenings. Also maybe don't leave anything irreplaceable in view in case you do have a break in?
GuybrushFunkwood@reddit
I order some ‘instant tunnel through mountain’ camouflage paint from Acme and disguise it. Apart from the odd Coyote slamming into it in pursuit of a Roadrunner it works well ….
ChemicalOld5047@reddit
We have timer plug ins so the lights will come on in living room from like 6pm - 9pm to make it look like someones home. Also maybe get your friend to just stop by once a week or something, not look after your place for hours, but just a quick check in every now and then, or put the bins out on bin day to fake it more? takes like 20 minutes for them. Ask a friendly neighbour to keep an eye out too
Exact_Gazelle_7662@reddit
Alarm, cameras, lights on a timer for the evenings is about all you can do + plus tell your neighbour(s) if you have one / two that you know.