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Original poster

What are the chances of a house burglary while away on holiday, really?

81 replies

CottagePieLaLaLa · 05/07/2023 14:59

This time of year it's not unusual to see articles online with tips on how to make sure your home is safe from intruders while you're off to Cornwall/France/Spain/etc for a week of fun and frolic. Stop your milk delivery, use timers on your lights, get the neighbours to water your plants, etc.

But what are the chances of a house burglary, really? Luckily we've never experienced one and neither have our close friends. But a few of their neighbours have. So I'm now wondering whether it's getting more common and we should really make whatever effort we can, to burglar-proof our homes.

Interested in what other MNters have experienced...

OP posts:
Original poster
CottagePieLaLaLa · 05/07/2023 19:40

Nobody?

OP posts:
JudgeAnderson · 05/07/2023 20:39

It happened to neighbours of mine a few months ago. Prompted me to install a ring alarm and cameras.

Original poster
CottagePieLaLaLa · 05/07/2023 20:59

Would that burglary have been avoided with those measures? We have both a Ring doorbell and cameras around the house and hope they are a good enough deterrent.

OP posts:
CharlotteStreetW1 · 05/07/2023 21:00

Don't plaster your trip all over Facebook etc.**

PollyCreo · 05/07/2023 21:02

I always take my car to the airport but don't like an empty driveway, my neighbour parks one of her cars on my drive when I'm away.

happygertie · 05/07/2023 21:04

We always leave one car on the drive. We have a lamp in front room on a timer too.

I would rather be burglaries whilst I'm not there so rather it happen whilst away then when in bed.

Barleysugar86 · 05/07/2023 21:04

A lot depends on your house set up and if it is attractive to break into (they can get to the back/ quiet etc.). Our sheds were burgled once when we were on holiday- they'd gotten through the hedge into the back and taken bikes and a pressure washer.
No problems in our current new mid-terrace house but the front door is overlooked in every direction and brightly lit up by street lights, the back is impossible to get to without going through the house.
I'd look objectively at your own property as a burglar and think if its vulnerable. If it is, and they could get somewhere quiet and dark to break in, look to mitigate this as much as possible. There are always burglars around, sometimes more in the nicer safer areas.

PollyCreo · 05/07/2023 21:08

And yes, lamps on timers etc. A friend used to put her TV and radio on timers too, I really should do this.

wutheringkites · 05/07/2023 21:13

I'm not too concerned about lights at this time of year, it's not dark until almost 10pm.

Goldfoot · 05/07/2023 21:14

There was a spate of burglaries when I was young, to the extent that you expected to have been burgled when you got home from holiday. In fact in our cul de sac of 9 houses we were the only one that wasn't one summer, which my mum took as something of an insult 😆

Now I think breaking in while the residents are home seems to be more common. When modern locks are locked they're harder to breach, but we're slack with security when we're home. That's certainly what happened to us, burgled while the slept, 2 days after we returned from holiday.

aintnospringchicken · 05/07/2023 21:16

I think you just need to take as many precautions as you can to deter would be burglars.When we go away we always leave a car on the drive,have lights on timers upstairs and downstairs in rooms at front and back of the house.We have a monitored security alarm and CCTV..We tell our next door neighbours when we're away.

trampoline123 · 05/07/2023 21:23

I don't know.

I do know that I have been burgled 3 times, one when we were asleep, and twice when we were out for the night.

These happened in two different places.

JudgeAnderson · 05/07/2023 21:33

Would that burglary have been avoided with those measures? We have both a Ring doorbell and cameras around the house and hope they are a good enough deterrent.

I don't think anything is a guarantee but if you make your house a less attractive target then I'd think it would lessen the chances.

Our neighbours kindly put our bins out as usual and we leave a car on the driveway.

dinoice · 05/07/2023 21:34

@JudgeAnderson were you away as well?

illiterato · 05/07/2023 21:39

Burglary has declined massively since the 1990s. It’s actually pretty rare in many places. I guess it’s all cyber scams now- can wfh and less chance of getting savaged by a dog or an angry householder.

JudgeAnderson · 05/07/2023 21:40

@dinoice luckily I haven't actually been burgled yet (touch wood!!) but my poor neighbours had it happen which shook me up.

wutheringkites · 05/07/2023 21:41

Most burglaries I hear of were to steal car keys.

2bazookas · 05/07/2023 21:55

Stop your milk delivery, use timers on your lights, get the neighbours to water your plants, etc.

The only time we ever had a holiday break in while we were away on holiday, so did a number of our neighbours (also away ). The police realised that the other thing we all had in common, was the same milkman. It turned out his delivery boy had sold the holiday cancellations list .

Redglitter · 05/07/2023 22:03

In my experience (Police Despatcher) I'd say burglaries while people are on holiday aren't as common as they used to be.

Most housebreaking now tend to be for one of several things. Things like car keys for specific cars, very often they break in & only take car keys. The other main type of burglary we see which IS done by professionals watching houses is the gangs who steal cash & jewellery from Asian households.

You're realistically probably far more likely to have things stolen via a sneak in theft through an unlocked door when you're at home

70sTomboy · 05/07/2023 22:13

They break into mine, I'd appreciate a fiver left, please? We have nothing worth stealing. Out of date tech, no gaming, no jewellery, etc. Oh , I'll leave a note asking if they can do the ironing 😉
Seriously though, we have family going in daily to feed the 🐈. It's obvious we are away. We are caravanners.

NannyGythaOgg · 05/07/2023 22:29

Nothing in mine to attract burglars. I could replace the lot for under 4k. Far more value in terms of replacement cost in the garden. Most of my garden plants are cuttings from friends and family but, costing up from a garden centre, would be about 12k for current size

JudgeAnderson · 05/07/2023 22:32

@Redglitter thank you, I do find that reassuring.

Showertray · 05/07/2023 22:34

CharlotteStreetW1 · 05/07/2023 21:00

Don't plaster your trip all over Facebook etc.**

What cos all your FB friends are burglars are they? You need new friends in that case

SirQuintusAureliusMaximus · 05/07/2023 22:49

If you don't live in a bad/high crime area, I think it's luck or bad luck really but the chances are very real. Two examples

A colleague who lives in an affluent area had an expensive car stolen they were in the house - broke in demanded keys and drove the car off. They were told by the police that "professional" burglars will watch houses every day so they get to know the routines of the occupants and for car thefts they often break in when people are in the house because they want the keys to be handed over. others who want money jewelery watches or portable stuff will wait til you are out.

A neighbour was broken into a few weeks ago - window smashed but because there was a burglar alarm, he left sharpish. He was seen leaving by another neighbour. and two others said this guy had rung the bell and when they answered offered some unnecessary service like roof doing when roof was clearly fine or tree cutting where there was a little shrub. These chancers are probably the biggest risk if you are on holiday.

A burglar alarm is probably a bigger deterrent than CCTV/ring doorbells.

JudgeAnderson · 05/07/2023 22:50

A burglar alarm is probably a bigger deterrent than CCTV/ring doorbells.

Ring does alarm/sensor systems as well. We've got the lot.