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

[CottagePieLaLaLa]

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...

Even on pet sitter pages- my sitter has to constantly remove pages and tell people not to ask if she has any availability between x and y dates.

for interest I took the last two of these posts and within seconds had their home address, and a floor plan courtesy of a property site.

Yes - exactly. It's easier than you think.

The one time my parents were broken into, they were asleep upstairs.

Stole my mum's handbag, the car keys and the car off the drive. My parents slept through it and only realised the next morning when my dad opened the front door and noticed the car was missing.

I live in an area where burglary would, technically, be very easy. Loads of people go off to work and leave their houses unlocked, doors wide open so that parcels can be delivered etc. I'm a dog walker and have clients who would happily leave their houses unlocked with their dogs inside while they go off to work - if I didn't insist on doors being locked behind me for insurance reasons, I'm certain they wouldn't bother.

But saying that, nothing ever really happens here. I don't think I could tell you the last time someone's house was broken into. Probably several years ago.

@cinnamonfrenchtoast where on earth is that?

Rural Cumbria.

I wonder if rural anywhere works that way...