Protecting Your Home from Burglary at Christmas

Christmas is the busiest month of the year for burglars, and the reason is usually simple. North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service puts it plainly: one in three festive burglaries happen because homes are left insecure¹. Presents on show, packaging piled by the bin, a dark house while you visit relatives and a new bike left in the shed all tell a passer-by that there is something worth taking.

The good news is that most of what protects you takes minutes. Lock doors and windows every time you go out, and again when you come back². Keep gifts and expensive items out of view of windows and doors, and keep keys away from the letterbox². If you are going away, put lights on timers, leave curtains in their normal position, and ask a trusted neighbour to check the house and bring in the post⁴.

If you come home to a break-in, call the police on 999 if you have been burgled, as the Police Service of Northern Ireland advises³. If you notice suspicious activity or vehicles nearby, report it on 101, or 999 in an emergency². This page sets out what to do before you go out, what to get ready, and what to do if the worst happens.

Make the house look lived in while you are away

An empty house is the single biggest invitation. Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service warns that leaving your home empty while you are away carries a higher risk of burglars targeting it⁷. Opportunistic burglars will look for signs that a house is unoccupied, so having lights on timers and keeping curtains in a normal position helps the house not look empty⁴.

The fix is to keep the house looking the way it does when you are there. Use lights on timers and keep curtains in a normal position so the house does not look unoccupied⁴. Set them for the evening hours you would normally have lights on, not all day.

If you have a burglar alarm, ensure it is set before you leave⁸. Ask someone trusted to check the house regularly, bring in bins and post, and use timers on lights, as government guidance for Northern Ireland sets out⁵. Local Neighbourhood Watch schemes can help while you are on holiday by increasing surveillance of your property and encouraging neighbours to report suspicious activity⁸. If you want to go further, see how to make your house look occupied when you are away and the full holiday checklist.

Security lighting around the perimeter of your home can also be a good deterrent, and can be set to come on with motion detectors⁹. If you are fitting lights, outdoor lights that deter burglars covers types and placement.

Keep presents out of sight from windows and doors

The tree in the front window is part of Christmas, but the pile of presents underneath it is also a shop display. Police advice is to keep gifts and expensive items out of view². Gloucestershire Constabulary puts it in practical terms: if there are items that may look tempting to a burglar, remove them from view, and when you are not using a room make sure external windows and doors are closed and locked¹⁰.

Keys matter as much as presents. Keep your house and car keys safe and away from doors and windows³. Sussex Police warn that it is not uncommon for car keys to be stolen by fishing through the letterbox, so keep them out of view when at home and away from the front door¹¹. The same applies to laptops and other valuables: keep them out of sight of anyone looking through your windows⁷.

If you have a lot of jewellery in the house over Christmas, West Yorkshire Police suggest considering a domestic safe, using bank deposit boxes if available, and marking items with a DNA solution, plus keeping a written and photographic record of anything of financial or sentimental value¹². Our guides to home safes and property marking explain the options.

Lock doors and windows every time, even for short trips

Most burglaries are not planned. They are a burglar trying a handle and finding it open. That is why the police message is so repetitive: double-lock the door every single time you leave the house, because simply shutting the door will not prevent burglaries⁶. North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service add that front and rear doors should be shut and locked both when you leave the house and also on your return¹³.

The same applies to windows. Always lock your doors and windows and keep them in good condition, as government guidance for Northern Ireland advises¹⁴. Close and fasten windows and doors securely, particularly when wind and rain are forecast¹⁵. If you are not using a room, close and lock its external windows and doors¹⁰.

Double-lock the door every single time you leave the house, because simply shutting it will not prevent burglaries⁶. Always lock your doors and windows and keep them in good condition¹⁰, and make sure front and rear doors are shut and locked both when you leave the house and also on your return¹¹.

For the detail on locks, cylinders and standards, see doors and locks and windows. If you are unsure whether your door is double-locked properly, how to double lock a uPVC door walks through it.

Getting rid of gift packaging without advertising what is inside

A bin bag full of boxes for a new television, games console or laptop is an advert. It tells anyone walking past exactly what is now in the house. Break boxes down, turn packaging inside out, and put it out on the morning of collection rather than the night before. If you have a lot, take it to the tip yourself.

Bins and recycling are also a fire risk over Christmas. Keep paper, wrappers and other rubbish that could catch light out of your ashtray, and never leave a cigarette, cigar or pipe unattended¹⁷. If you have visitors who smoke, put a proper ashtray outside and empty it into a metal bin.

Keep hallways and entrances clear of clutter so you can escape quickly and safely, and so firefighters can enter your home to save pets or family members inside¹⁸. Christmas brings extra boxes, bags and wrapping paper into the hall; clear them as you go.

What not to share online over the holidays

The single most common mistake is announcing the holiday before you go. Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service warn that many criminals monitor social media and will look for posts about your holiday which may indicate that your home is empty⁷. Their advice is direct: do not post details of your trip on social media, and save your posts until you get home⁴.

Police Scotland give the same guidance in general terms: when you post on social media, it is safest not to share anything you would not want public, personal details, anything that makes you uncomfortable, your location especially when you are on holiday, or information that could upset or embarrass another person¹⁹. Be careful about what you post online, as national cyber guidance puts it²⁰.

There is a second risk beyond burglary. Avoid using unsecure public wifi, particularly when you are away and logging into accounts from a hotel or cafe²⁰. If your account is hacked while you are away, you may not notice until you are home. Our guide to whether you should post about your holiday on social media covers the settings that limit who sees what.

If you are burgled: who to call and what to do first

If you have been burgled, call the police immediately on 999³. That is the advice from the Police Service of Northern Ireland, and it applies across the UK. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999²¹. Do not go inside if you think someone may still be there: call from outside, from a neighbour's house or from your car.

If you notice suspicious activity or vehicles in your local area, make a note of relevant information, including vehicle registrations and descriptions, and report it to police on 101, or 999 in an emergency, or use the non-emergency reporting form². Our guide to when to call 999 or 101 about a crime at home sets out which number fits which situation.

Once the police have been, the practical steps begin. Do not tidy up before officers arrive if you can avoid it, because they may want to look for forensic evidence. Contact your insurer, and keep a record of what has gone. Our guides to coming home to a break-in and after a burglary take you through crime numbers, insurers, repairs and support. If you would rather report anonymously, how to report a burglary anonymously explains how.

Sheds, garages, decorations and the neighbours

Sheds and garages are often the weakest point on a property, and at Christmas they fill up with bikes, tools and presents that did not fit under the tree. Before you go away, check and lock your doors, windows, sheds and garages⁵. The Met Office advises that sheds should have their doors locked²². Lock your garden or drive gates closed and securely locked, and make sure all gates and fences are in good repair, as the Police Service of Northern Ireland advise for protecting heating oil and outbuildings²³. Valuables should be marked with your postcode²⁴.

Outdoor decorations bring their own risks. Ladders left propped against the house after you have put the lights up give easy access to upper windows, so lock them away. Check that decorations are secure before wind and rain arrive, and close and fasten windows and doors securely when storms are forecast¹⁴. Fire and rescue services warn that your tree and other decorations must not block escape routes, and that you and your guests should know where the exits are²⁵. Make sure everyone in the house knows the escape plan, including guests like grandparents at Christmas, and practise it, turning it into a game for children²⁶.

Neighbours are the best security system you have. Ask whether elderly or vulnerable neighbours might want or need your assistance in the event of an emergency, as emergency planning guidance suggests²⁷. If your neighbour will have difficulty getting in and out of their home, offer to clear snow and ice around their property²⁸. In return, ask them to keep an eye on yours: bring in the bins and post, and tell you if anything looks wrong. If you want to go further, joining or starting a Neighbourhood Watch explains how local schemes work.