How to Protect Your Property During Holiday Travel

Heading out of Miami for the holidays? Here's a complete checklist to secure your home, vacation property, and vehicles before you leave.

2025-11-25 · 5 min read · Residential

Holiday travel is one of the peak periods for residential burglaries in South Florida. The combination of empty homes, visible deliveries, and reduced neighborhood foot traffic creates ideal conditions for property crime. Whether you're leaving for a weekend or a few weeks, a systematic security checklist before departure significantly reduces your risk.

Before You Leave: Physical Security

Every exterior door: Verify the deadbolt is functioning and fully engaged. If you've been meaning to replace a sticky or worn lock, do it before you leave — not after you return.

Sliding doors and windows: Sliding doors should have a secondary lock (bar in the track or a key lock at the top). Ground-level windows must be locked. If windows have security film, verify it's intact.

Garage door: Close and lock it. Test the auto-close feature if your opener has one. The door from the garage into the house should have its own deadbolt — treat it as an exterior door.

Safe your valuables: Important documents, jewelry, and irreplaceable items should be in a secured safe before you leave. Don't leave these in drawers or closets where a burglar would look first.

Exterior security: Check that all exterior lights are functional. Set at least two interior lights on timers or smart plugs to simulate occupancy.

Before You Leave: Access and Keys

Collect spare keys: If you have spare keys hidden outside (under mats, in fake rocks), retrieve them before leaving. An unoccupied home with an accessible spare key is a significant vulnerability.

Give access to a trusted contact: Rather than hiding a key, give a physical or digital key to a neighbor or friend who will check on the property. A smart lock temporary code is more secure than a physical key for this purpose.

Change codes if needed: If you've given out door codes to contractors or service workers recently, this is a good time to change them before your trip.

Smart Lock and Remote Monitoring

Set up geofencing: Many smart home systems can automatically lock all doors when your phone leaves a defined area. Verify this is configured before departure.

Test remote lock monitoring: Confirm you can see lock status from your phone. A quick check the morning after departure confirms everything is secured.

Security camera review: Make sure cameras are recording and notifications are active. Check that storage (cloud or local) has capacity for the duration of your trip.

Alarm system test: Confirm your alarm is armed in away mode and your monitoring company has current emergency contacts.

Deliveries and Mail

USPS mail hold: Request a mail hold for the duration of your trip at USPS.com — free and takes 2 minutes.

Package holds or rerouting: For expected deliveries, route to an Amazon Locker, UPS Store, or have them held at the carrier facility. A piling of packages signals absence clearly.

Notify a neighbor: A neighbor who knows you're gone can retrieve any unexpected deliveries and report anything suspicious.

Your Vehicles

Cars left at home: Park in the garage when possible. Don't leave valuables visible inside any vehicle remaining at the property.

Check key fob storage: Store key fobs in a signal-blocking pouch (Faraday bag) overnight if your vehicles are parked outside — relay theft targeting keyless entry vehicles is active in Miami.

When You Return

Do a quick exterior check before entering — look for signs of attempted entry (scratched locks, shifted items near windows, damaged frames). If anything looks wrong, call police before entering.

If you find signs of attempted break-in, Caraballo Locksmith provides same-day emergency rekeying and hardware replacement across Miami-Dade. Document everything photographically before touching anything for insurance purposes.