The holidays can be a busy and stressful time for most of us — but add vacation preparation into the mix, and your to-do list can become overwhelming. Our holiday home safety checklist is designed to help de-stress your holidays and ramp up your home security while on vacation.
If you’re leaving town and your place will be unoccupied while you’re away, find time amidst the merrymaking to follow our vacation safety tips for your home so you can truly enjoy your time away — with no unpleasant surprises upon your return.
Why You Need a Holiday Home Safety Checklist
When your home sits empty — even for a few days — small problems can quickly turn into expensive ones. A leaky pipe, faulty outlet, or unnoticed break-in can all cause serious damage before anyone realizes something’s wrong. Following our home safety checklist will help you reduce those risks and enjoy peace of mind while you’re away.
This holiday home safety checklist also supports your homeowners insurance. Many insurers include a vacancy clause in the homeowners policy, which can limit your coverage if your home is left unoccupied for too long. Following key vacation safety tips for your home, such as testing alarms, adjusting utilities, and securing entry points, can help prevent damage and ensure your coverage remains valid if an incident occurs.
Step 1: Test Alarms & Home Security Systems
First up on our home safety checklist is to check your home security system.
Your home alarm system can’t protect you if it doesn’t work. Before your trip, check the batteries and test your system’s connectivity. Let your monitoring company know you’ll be away and confirm they have updated emergency contact information in case an alert is triggered while you’re gone.
Whether you have an alarm or not, ask a trusted friend or neighbor to keep an eye on your property. Visible home security measures, such as motion lights, smart cameras, or alarm signage, can deter burglars and help support your homeowners insurance claim if damage ever occurs.
Step 2: Shut Off & Monitor Water Systems
Next, turning off the water systems and monitoring them is a critical vacation safety tip for your home.
This is vital to prevent leaks and flooding so you don’t come home to a plumbing emergency or a flooded home. Experts recommend that you turn off the water, even for short trips. For winter vacations, go a step further and drain all the water from the pipes as well to prevent them from bursting if the temperature plummets.
Before you leave, check under sinks and around appliances for any slow leaks or damp spots. Consider installing a smart water sensor to monitor your water system remotely and turn off the water if needed.
Water damage is all too common and expensive among home insurance claims. Even a small burst pipe can cause thousands in repairs, so taking a few minutes to shut off and monitor your water system can save you from a major headache later.
Step 3: Thermostat, Heating & Utilities Checks
Lowering the thermostat so you’re not wasting energy keeping an empty house toasty seems like an obvious way to lower your electricity bill. But if there’s a chance the weather could turn cold, you don’t want to turn the heating off completely and risk those pipes freezing.
So, our next home holiday safety tip is to test that your thermostat is working before you leave and set it to maintain a steady, moderate temperature — about 55 °F to 60 °F in cold climates. This balance prevents frozen pipes without wasting energy.
If your climate is warmer, leave the A/C on energy-saver but turn it up a few degrees higher than normal to prevent mold and humidity.
Just as there’s no need to heat an unoccupied house, there’s no need to keep a plentiful hot water supply when it’s not needed. Newer water heaters typically have a preprogrammed vacation mode that keeps the water around 50°F so it won’t freeze and cause a flood. If your water heater is older and doesn’t have vacation mode, turn it down manually to its lowest setting to save energy and money.
Step 4: Hold the Mail & Package Deliveries
If circulars and envelopes are spilling from your mailbox and newspapers are scattered around outside while you’re gone, you may as well make a big sign saying, “nobody’s home.” Avoid signs of vacancy that attract unwanted attention.
If you don’t have a friend or helpful neighbor who can come by every couple of days to gather your mail, the best option is to put all your deliveries on hold. You can do this easily online with USPS, FedEx, and UPS. You can also ask your local post office to pause delivery for a set period or redirect packages to a secure pickup location.
Avoiding packages left outside while you’re away is a critical vacation safety tip for your home, so don’t place orders for delivery services right before you leave. If you expect holiday gifts or deliveries, use tracking alerts or locker pickup options to keep them safe until you return.
Step 5: Use Timers & Illumination to Simulate Occupancy
The next step on your holiday home safety checklist is to keep your home looking lived-in and active.
If you buy a timer with multiple on/off and random settings, you may fool any potential burglar into thinking you’re still home. Lights turning on and off in various rooms at random times look more like real home life than having just one switch go on and off at the same time every day. Smart plugs and app-based light controls make this even easier — you can adjust lighting remotely or use “away” modes that automatically vary timing.
If you live in an area that has a higher frequency of break-ins, you might consider getting an additional alarm that barks like a dog when anyone approaches the house. Outdoor motion lights or solar-powered pathway lighting can also help improve home security, keeping entryways and driveways visible at night.
Step 6: Clean & Declutter Before You Go
Cleaning house before leaving on vacation? This one may not seem like a vacation safety tip for your home, but it’s a really good idea if you can find the time. Why?
Vacuuming and wiping down surfaces helps you avoid a home invasion by creepy crawlies and rodents. Clear kitchen counters, remove clutter near vents or appliances, and take out all trash before locking up.
Cleaning out the fridge of perishable food, running the dishwasher, and emptying the garbage and recycling right before you leave means you can come home to a sweet-smelling kitchen with no putrefying trash to lure critters.
For good measure, pour a small amount of white vinegar and water down the garbage disposal to neutralize odors and prevent buildup while you’re away. A clean home is more than nice to come back to; it’s an important home holiday safety tip. Clutter-free floors reduce fire hazards, and clean surfaces discourage mold, pests, and electrical issues that can start when crumbs or grease attract insects or rodents.
Step 7: Unplug & Secure Appliances
To ensure your home security while on vacation, take a few minutes before heading out to unplug small appliances and electronics you won’t be using. Items like coffee makers, toasters, lamps, and phone chargers continue to draw energy even when turned off. Unplugging them lowers fire risk and reduces unnecessary power use. (The vacancy clause in your homeowners policy and your utility bill will thank you!)
For sensitive devices such as computers, televisions, and routers, use surge protectors or disconnect them entirely to prevent damage from power surges or outages. Double-check that your stove and space heaters are off, and make sure any smart plugs or monitors you plan to use while away are functioning correctly.
These simple precautions help prevent electrical hazards, save energy, and keep your home safer while it’s unoccupied — key goals of any holiday home safety checklist.
Step 8: Final Walk-Through & Emergency Prep
As the final step on your home safety checklist, conduct a thorough walk-through before locking up. Check that all doors, windows, and gates are locked, and make sure any sliding doors or pet doors are secured. Verify that all timers, alarms, and motion lights are set correctly.
Leave your emergency contact information and a spare key with a trusted neighbor or friend who has agreed to check on your home if needed. If you have a security system or smart cameras, confirm you can access them remotely while you’re away.
Finally, store important insurance documents and photos of valuable belongings in a safe or cloud account. Having this documentation ready can make filing a claim easier if damage occurs during your trip, especially if you have a vacancy clause in your homeowners policy.
Keeping Your Home Safe
A little preparation goes a long way toward protecting your home while you’re away. Following our holiday home safety checklist helps reduce risk, prevent costly surprises, and give you peace of mind wherever your travels take you.
Before you go, take a moment to review your homeowners coverage with Wawanesa. Confirm your policy details, check that your coverage limits meet your current needs, and be sure you understand any vacancy clause in your homeowners policy.
Now, relax and enjoy the season knowing you're keeping your home safe.
Advertisement: Get homeowners insurance for less than you'd expect. Click to see homeowners discounts.