Holiday Home Security Tips for Louisville Homeowners

The holiday season often means more packages arriving at the front door, more time away from home and changes to your family’s normal routine.

Whether you’re traveling to visit family, spending long days shopping and attending events or simply receiving more deliveries than usual, a few extra security precautions can help you stay aware of what’s happening around your property.

For homeowners in Louisville, KY and throughout Kentuckiana, holiday home security is about combining simple habits with the security technology already available in your home.

What should you do to secure your home during the holidays? Before traveling, check doors and windows, manage packages and mail, use lighting schedules, avoid publicly sharing travel plans and make sure cameras, locks, sensors and alerts are working properly. If you have a connected security system, remote access can also help you monitor your home while you’re away.

1. Check Doors and Windows Before You Leave

Holiday travel can make the days leading up to a trip hectic.

Before leaving home, take a few minutes to physically check common entry points, including:

• Front and back doors
• Side entrances
• Garage doors
• Accessible windows
• Basement entrances
• Patio or deck doors

Make sure doors close and lock properly and that windows have not accidentally been left unlocked.

If you use door and window sensors, confirm that the system shows those entry points as closed before arming it.

This is a simple step, but it is easy to overlook when you’re focused on packing, travel schedules and getting everyone out the door.

2. Don’t Advertise Your Travel Plans

Posting vacation plans or real-time travel updates publicly can reveal that your home is unoccupied.

Instead of announcing when you’re leaving and how long you’ll be gone, consider waiting until you return before sharing photos or details publicly.

This can apply to:

• Social media posts
• Public stories
• Location check-ins
• Countdown posts before a trip
• Photos that clearly indicate you’re away from home

You don’t have to stop using social media during the holidays. Just think about how much information your posts reveal about whether anyone is currently at the house.

3. Ask a Trusted Neighbor or Family Member to Keep an Eye on the Property

Technology can provide useful information while you’re away, but having someone nearby can also be extremely helpful.

If you’re traveling for several days, consider asking a trusted neighbor, friend or family member to:

• Check the property periodically
• Bring packages inside
• Pick up unexpected deliveries
• Let you know about unusual activity
• Move trash cans when necessary
• Alert you if there is a problem

Make sure they know whether anyone else, such as a pet sitter or contractor, is expected to visit the property while you’re away.

4. Have a Plan for Holiday Packages

The holidays can bring a noticeable increase in deliveries.

A box left on a front porch for several hours can be both vulnerable to theft and an obvious sign that nobody has been home to retrieve it.

Before traveling, consider:

• Tracking expected deliveries
• Turning on delivery notifications
• Asking a trusted neighbor to retrieve packages
• Using a secure pickup location
• Delaying nonessential orders
• Providing appropriate delivery instructions
• Requiring a signature for higher-value items

Our guide on how to prevent package theft covers delivery alerts, video doorbells, secure pickup options, package boxes and other ways to reduce the amount of time deliveries remain unattended.

5. Use Lighting Schedules to Make the Home Look Lived In

A house that remains completely dark every evening can make an extended absence more noticeable.

Smart lighting or timers can help maintain a more normal-looking routine.

Depending on your system, you might schedule:

• Living-room lights in the evening
• Entry lighting around sunset
• Bedroom lights later at night
• Selected lights to turn off automatically
• Exterior lighting during normal nighttime hours

Avoid simply leaving every light on continuously for several days.

A more natural schedule can better reflect how lighting would normally operate when someone is home.

Our guide to smart lighting and home security explains how automated lighting can support security routines both while you’re home and while you’re away.

6. Check Your Security Cameras Before Traveling

Don’t wait until you’re several hours away to discover that a camera has gone offline or is pointing in the wrong direction.

Before leaving, review your camera system and confirm:

• Cameras are online
• Views are unobstructed
• Lenses are clear
• Exterior landscaping isn’t blocking the image
• Recorded video is available
• Mobile access works
• Alerts are configured correctly
• Date and time information is accurate

Pay particular attention to cameras covering:

• Front entrances
• Driveways
• Garages
• Rear entrances
• Areas where packages are normally delivered

A quick check before your trip can prevent unnecessary troubleshooting while you’re away.

7. Make Sure Your Video Doorbell Is Working

A video doorbell can be especially useful during the holidays because your front entrance may see more activity than usual.

Depending on the equipment installed, a video doorbell may allow you to:

• See when someone approaches
• Receive visitor alerts
• View live video
• Speak through two-way audio
• Review recorded activity
• Receive certain delivery or package notifications

Before traveling, check that the doorbell is online and that alerts are reaching the correct phone.

8. Review Your Security-System Notifications

A security alert is only useful if it reaches someone who can see it.

Before leaving town, confirm that:

• Your mobile app is logged in
• Notifications are enabled
• Your phone number is current
• Your email address is current
• Other authorized users still have appropriate access
• Old users have been removed

This is particularly important if you’ve recently replaced your phone or changed account information.

9. Check Smart Locks and Access Codes

If your home uses smart locks, review the system before traveling.

Confirm that:

• Doors lock normally
• Batteries are not low
• Remote lock status works
• Temporary codes are still appropriate
• Old guest codes have been removed

If someone will be checking on the home, caring for pets or bringing packages inside, a temporary or individual access code may be more practical than distributing an extra physical key.

When the person no longer needs access, the credential can be removed.

10. Don’t Forget the Garage

The garage is sometimes overlooked during a pre-travel security check.

Before leaving:

• Make sure the overhead garage door closes completely
• Lock any door connecting the garage to the home
• Check exterior garage doors and windows
• Confirm garage cameras are working if installed
• Avoid leaving garage-door remotes in vehicles parked outside

If you use a connected garage controller, confirm that remote status and notifications are functioning before your trip.

11. Keep Gifts and Valuable Items Out of View

Holiday gifts, electronics and other purchases may be more visible around the home during November and December.

Avoid leaving high-value items where they can easily be seen through ground-floor windows or glass doors.

After the holidays, also be thoughtful about how you dispose of packaging.

Large boxes from televisions, computers or other expensive purchases can advertise what may now be inside the house.

Break down packaging and follow your local recycling or trash procedures rather than leaving recognizable product boxes prominently visible for extended periods.

12. Make Sure Exterior Lighting Is Working

Exterior lighting can improve visibility around entrances, walkways and other areas of the property after dark.

Before holiday travel, check:

• Porch lights
• Garage lighting
• Pathway lights
• Motion-activated fixtures
• Lighting around side or rear entrances

Replace failed bulbs and make sure automated lighting is operating on the schedule you expect.

Lighting doesn’t replace cameras, locks or intrusion detection, but it can complement those systems by improving visibility around the property.

13. Pause or Manage Mail During Longer Trips

A mailbox that becomes noticeably full can be another indication that a home has been unattended.

For longer trips, make arrangements so mail does not accumulate.

Depending on your plans, that might mean asking a trusted person to collect it or using available mail-hold services.

The same principle applies to newspapers, regular deliveries and anything else that normally accumulates outside the home.

14. Don’t Create an Obvious Pattern of Absence

Security isn’t only about individual devices.

Think about what the property looks like from outside.

Signs of an extended absence can include:

• Packages accumulating
• Mail overflowing
• Lights never changing
• Trash cans remaining out
• No vehicle movement
• Snow or leaves going untouched
• Curtains remaining in exactly the same position

You don’t need to create an elaborate illusion.

The goal is simply to avoid making an empty home unnecessarily obvious.

15. Use Remote Access Without Constantly Checking Your Home

One benefit of a connected security system is the ability to check important information without being physically at the property.

Depending on your system, you may be able to:

• View cameras
• Check whether doors are locked
• Review alerts
• Arm or disarm security
• Check connected garage status
• Control compatible lighting
• Review recorded video

That doesn’t mean you need to spend your entire holiday watching cameras.

Set useful notifications so the system can alert you when something deserves attention rather than requiring constant manual checking.

16. Check Your Security System Before Holiday Guests Arrive

Holiday security isn’t only about traveling.

Hosting family and friends can also temporarily change the way your home operates.

Before guests arrive, think about:

• Which doors people will use
• Whether temporary smart-lock codes are useful
• Whether motion sensors need normal disarming while people are awake
• How visitors should use the alarm system
• Whether cameras cover private areas that guests may use
• Who should receive security-system notifications

A little planning can prevent confusion when several people are coming and going.

17. Don’t Ignore Security-System Warnings Before a Trip

If your system is already showing:

• Low batteries
• Offline cameras
• Sensor warnings
• Network issues
• Recording problems
• Smart-lock errors

address those issues before leaving town.

Travel is not the ideal time to discover that a device you planned to rely on hasn’t been functioning properly.

Our home security checklist for Louisville homeowners can help you review doors, windows, cameras, lighting and other areas of the property before an extended absence.

Can a Home Security System Help While You’re Traveling?

Yes. A connected home security system can provide greater awareness and control when you’re away.

Depending on the system installed, homeowners may be able to use:

• Security cameras
• Video doorbells
• Door and window sensors
• Motion detection
• Smart locks
• Automated lighting
• Mobile alerts
• Remote system control
• Professional monitoring

These technologies work best alongside practical habits such as managing packages, locking doors, keeping travel details private and asking someone trusted to watch the property when appropriate.

A professionally designed home security system can bring several of these functions together rather than requiring homeowners to manage a collection of unrelated devices.

Holiday Home Security Checklist

Before leaving for holiday travel, confirm:

• Doors and windows are locked
• Security sensors are working
• Cameras are online and recording
• Video doorbell alerts work
• Smart-lock batteries are healthy
• Garage doors are closed
• Package deliveries are managed
• Mail will not accumulate
• Lighting schedules are set
• Security notifications reach the right people
• Trusted neighbors or family know you’ll be away
• Travel details aren’t publicly advertised
• Existing system warnings have been addressed

This checklist doesn’t need to take long. The important thing is to complete it before you’re already on the road.

Frequently Asked Questions About Holiday Home Security