Holiday Home Security Guide for Sutherland Shire Families

By Steve · Owner & Licensed Security Installer (Master Security Licence #000105713)

Reviewed by Steve

Last updated: 18 June 2026

How to secure a holiday home or a vacant house while you are away: the risks of an empty home, the role of security doors and screens, light and timer tricks, the summer break-in spike, and a pre-holiday checklist.

Key product notes

A vacant home, whether your holiday house or your main home while you travel, is a softer target, and summer is peak break-in season as families leave town.
Security doors and screens are the foundation: they harden entry points, let you leave windows open for airflow, and act as a visible deterrent even when nobody is home.
Layer in light timers, a neighbour or house-sitter, and an obvious lived-in look to discourage opportunistic thieves.
Shire Security Doors and Screens can secure your home before you travel. Free measure and quote on 0410 474 256 or steve@shiredoors.com.au.

How do I secure a holiday home or vacant house?

The single most effective step is to harden your entry points with tested security doors and screens, then layer on simple deterrents that make the home look occupied. An empty home, whether a holiday house left for weeks or your main home while the family travels, is a softer target because there is no one to interrupt a break-in, and opportunistic thieves look for exactly these signs of absence. Security screens let you leave windows open for ventilation while away without inviting entry, and a visible security door at the front signals the home is protected.

Beyond the physical barrier, the goal is to remove the cues that say nobody is home: mail piling up, dark windows every night, an empty driveway. Combine a hardened perimeter with light timers, a trusted neighbour and a lived-in appearance, and you dramatically cut the risk. This guide covers the vacant-home risks, the role of doors and screens, deterrence tricks, the summer spike and a pre-holiday checklist.

Harden entry points with tested security doors and screens first
An empty home is a softer target with no one to interrupt a break-in
Security screens allow safe airflow while you are away
Then make the home look lived-in to remove signs of absence

Why a vacant home is a softer target

An unoccupied home gives a would-be intruder time and quiet to work, with no occupant to disturb them and often no immediate neighbour watching. Holiday homes are especially exposed because they sit empty for long stretches and their absence is predictable. The most common entry points are the same as always, an unprotected front or back door and accessible ground-floor windows, which is exactly where most homes are weakest and where security screens make the biggest difference.

Thieves also read the signs of absence: overflowing mailboxes, bins left out for days, lawns growing long, and the same lights off every night. These cues tell an opportunist the home is empty and likely to stay that way. Reducing those signals, and ensuring the entry points genuinely resist forced entry, is the heart of securing a home you have to leave.

An empty home gives intruders time and quiet to work
Holiday homes are exposed by long, predictable absences
Doors and accessible ground-floor windows are the weak points
Mail, bins, long grass and dark windows signal absence

Security doors and screens: the foundation

Tested security doors and window screens are the foundation of holiday-home security because they physically resist forced entry at the points intruders target, and they keep working whether you are home or not. A door tested to AS 5039 with high-tensile stainless steel mesh, ideally 316 marine-grade in a welded frame on a coastal home, cannot simply be cut, levered or kicked in like a flyscreen or an unprotected door. Security window screens do the same for accessible windows, the entry point homeowners most often overlook.

There is a comfort benefit too: with security screens fitted, you can leave windows open for airflow while you are away on a hot day or for the duration of a trip, keeping the house cooler and better ventilated without leaving it open to entry or insects. A quality installed security door runs about ,000 to ,600 and window screens about $480 to $700 each, a sound investment for a home left empty, and a visible deterrent the rest of the year.

AS 5039 tested doors and screens resist cutting, levering and kicking
Coastal homes should use 316 marine-grade mesh in a welded frame
Window screens protect the openings homeowners most often overlook
Screens let you leave windows open safely for airflow while away

Timers, deterrence and a lived-in look

Layered on top of a hardened perimeter, simple deterrents make a home look occupied. Light timers that switch lamps on and off in the evening, ideally in different rooms at varying times, are one of the cheapest and most effective tricks, because a dark house every single night signals absence while changing lights suggest someone is home. Smart plugs let you do the same from your phone, and a radio on a timer adds the impression of activity.

Round it out with the human and visible elements: a trusted neighbour, friend or house-sitter to collect mail, move bins and park in the driveway; a hold on mail and deliveries; keeping a car in the driveway if you can; and visible security such as sensor lights, a doorbell camera and, of course, the security doors and screens themselves. The aim is to remove every easy signal that the home is empty.

Light timers and smart plugs vary lighting to mimic occupancy
A neighbour or house-sitter to collect mail and move bins
Hold mail and deliveries; keep a car in the driveway if possible
Sensor lights, a doorbell camera and visible security doors deter

The summer theft spike and a pre-holiday checklist

Summer is peak holiday-travel season, which makes it peak opportunity for break-ins as homes across the Shire sit empty and windows are more likely to be left open for the heat. The combination of predictable absences and a desire for ventilation is exactly why security screens matter most over summer: they let you keep the house cool and aired while away without leaving an open invitation. Securing the home before you travel is far easier than dealing with a break-in after.

Before you leave, run a simple checklist: lock and check every door and window; set light timers; pause mail and deliveries; arrange a neighbour or house-sitter; store valuables, spare keys and important documents out of sight; trim back anything hiding entry points; and confirm your security doors, screens and locks are all sound and engaged. If any entry point is unprotected or relying on an old, non-compliant door, get it sorted before the holidays. Shire Security Doors and Screens can secure your home before you travel, call Steve on 0410 474 256 or email steve@shiredoors.com.au.

Summer combines empty homes with windows left open for the heat
Lock all doors and windows; set light timers; pause mail
Arrange a neighbour or house-sitter; hide valuables and spare keys
Confirm doors, screens and locks are sound before you leave

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Frequently asked questions

How do I secure my home before going on holiday?

Harden the entry points with tested security doors and screens, then make the home look occupied. Lock every door and window, set light timers, pause mail and deliveries, arrange a neighbour or house-sitter, hide valuables and spare keys, and confirm your doors, screens and locks are sound. Security screens also let you leave windows open safely for airflow.

Are break-ins more common in summer?

Summer is peak holiday-travel season, so more homes sit empty and windows are more likely to be left open for the heat, which creates more opportunity for break-ins. That combination is exactly why security screens matter most over summer, as they let you keep the house cool and ventilated while away without leaving it open to entry.

Why is a vacant home a bigger target?

An empty home gives an intruder time and quiet with no occupant to interrupt them, and holiday homes are especially exposed by long, predictable absences. Signs like overflowing mail, bins left out and dark windows every night advertise that the home is empty, so removing those cues and hardening the entry points is key.

Do security doors help when nobody is home?

Yes, that is exactly when they earn their keep. A tested security door and window screens physically resist forced entry at the points intruders target whether you are home or not, and they act as a visible deterrent that signals the home is protected. They also let you leave windows open for airflow safely while you are away.

What is the best deterrent for a home left empty?

A layered approach: tested security doors and screens to harden the entry points, plus light timers or smart plugs to mimic occupancy, a neighbour or house-sitter to collect mail and move bins, a paused mail hold, and visible security such as sensor lights and a doorbell camera. The aim is to remove every easy signal that the home is empty.

Can you secure my home before I travel?

Yes. Shire Security Doors and Screens can fit tested security doors and window screens, and check your locks, before you head away. We service the whole Sutherland Shire from Engadine with a free measure and quote, and can expedite where a holiday is approaching. Call Steve on 0410 474 256 or email steve@shiredoors.com.au.