Home security before a holiday is one of those jobs that's easy to rush in the last hour before the taxi arrives — and that's exactly when things get forgotten. A back window left on the latch, a parcel due to arrive on the doormat, a spare key still under the mat. Most burglaries in Manchester are opportunist, and an empty house that looks empty is precisely the easy target an opportunist is after. Twenty minutes of preparation removes that.

This is a practical pre-trip checklist for Manchester homeowners. Work through it the day before you go, not in the final scramble, and your house will be both harder to enter and far less obviously unoccupied while you're away.

Lock and check everything

It sounds obvious, but the most common way into a home is a door or window that simply wasn't locked. In the rush to leave, it's the easiest thing to miss.

Lock every external door and double-check the back, the side and any patio doors, not just the front.
Lock every accessible window with its key, and don't leave any on the vent latch — many can be forced from that position.
Don't forget the garage and shed. They're full of bikes, tools and ladders, and those tools are what a burglar uses to get into the house. Use a closed-shackle padlock on a bolted hasp and a defender on an up-and-over garage door.
Lock the side gate so nobody can get round the back to work unseen — a real issue on Manchester's terraced streets with rear ginnels.

Walk the whole house once, room by room, before you leave. It takes five minutes and catches the window you'd otherwise forget.

Check your locks are up to standard

A holiday is a natural moment to make sure your locks are actually doing their job, because the house will sit empty for longer than usual.

Wooden doors should have a BS3621 mortice lock — five levers, Kitemark on the faceplate.
uPVC and composite doors should have a TS007 3-star or Sold Secure Diamond anti-snap cylinder. Lock snapping is the most common forced entry on these doors, and a standard cylinder goes in seconds. Anti-snap defeats it, and our anti-snap locks: worth it? post explains why.

If you're not sure what's fitted, it's worth getting it checked before a long trip rather than after a break-in. Our lock replacement service covers both door types, and if you want to upgrade, do it before you go.

Make the house look lived-in

This is the heart of holiday security. A house that looks occupied is far less likely to be picked. Most opportunists avoid any house where someone might appear at any moment.

Put a couple of lamps on plug-in timers set to come on in the evenings, ideally in different rooms at slightly different times. A radio on a timer adds to the effect.
Keep curtains in their normal daytime position. Curtains drawn tight in the middle of the day are a giveaway, not cover.
Cancel newspaper and milk deliveries and pause regular parcels so nothing piles up at the door — a clear sign nobody's home.
Mow the lawn before you go if it's growing season; an overgrown garden flags a long absence.

Ask a neighbour

A trusted neighbour is the best holiday security there is, because they provide what no gadget can: real, responsive presence.

Ask them to:

Take in any post or parcels that arrive despite your best efforts.
Park on your drive occasionally so it doesn't sit empty.
Move the bins in and out on collection day.
Keep a general eye out and have a number to reach you on if anything looks wrong.

Offer to do the same for them. It's the cheapest and most effective layer in the whole list.

Hide valuables and keys properly

Reduce the reward in case someone does get in, and don't make entry easy by leaving a key out.

Take valuables out of view of windows — laptops, jewellery, car keys, anything visible from the street.
Never leave a spare key under the mat, in a plant pot or in a fake rock. These are the first places checked. Take spares with you or leave them with a neighbour.
Keep all keys away from the letterbox and front door. Burglars fish for keys through the letterbox or break a pane of glass to reach a key left nearby. This matters most when the house will be empty for a while.
Consider photographing or noting serial numbers of high-value items, which helps with insurance and recovery if the worst happens.

Don't broadcast that you're away

Your house is only an obvious target if people know it's empty. The biggest modern mistake is announcing it online.

Don't post your travel dates or destination publicly before or during the trip. A public "off to Spain for two weeks!" tells anyone watching that your house is empty and for how long. Share the holiday photos when you're home.
Be wary of an out-of-office or voicemail that says you're away until a specific date — keep it vague.

Set the alarm and final checks

If you have a burglar alarm, this is the time it earns its keep.

Set the alarm and make sure a keyholder (your trusted neighbour or a relative) can respond or silence it if it goes off.
Turn off and unplug anything that doesn't need to stay on, both for safety and to avoid an obvious silent house.
Leave a contact number with your neighbour or keyholder.

Then do the final walk-round: every door locked, every window locked, garage and shed secure, side gate locked, timers set, valuables out of sight, key not under the mat. That's the whole list.

A note on insurance

Before a long trip, check your home insurance for an unoccupancy clause. Many policies reduce or suspend cover once a home has been empty for a set number of consecutive days — often somewhere around 30 to 60 — so a long trip can leave you exposed unless you arrange cover or have someone stay. Insurers also expect the home to have been properly secured, which is one more reason to work through the checklist above.

When to call a locksmith

It's worth calling a locksmith before a holiday when:

You don't know whether your locks meet the BS3621 / TS007 3-star standard your insurer expects.
Your uPVC doors still have standard, snappable cylinders you'd rather upgrade before a long absence.
You've lost a key recently and want the locks changed so no stray copy can be used while you're away.
You want a quick security check anywhere across Manchester before you go.

Sorting it before you travel is far easier than dealing with the aftermath of a break-in while you're trying to enjoy yourself abroad.

The short version

Securing your home before a holiday comes down to three things: lock and check everything, make the house look lived-in, and don't advertise that you're away. Add a trusted neighbour, sensible locks, hidden valuables and keys, and a set alarm, and an opportunist passing your street has no reason to stop. For the bigger picture on cutting your risk year-round, see our home security and burglary prevention guide.

If you'd like your locks checked or upgraded before you travel, anywhere in Manchester, call Manchester Locksmith 24 on 0161 394 1724.

Home security before a holiday: a Manchester checklist