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Holiday Home Security Checklist: Protecting Your House with Crimsafe Security Screens and Smart Blinds While You’re Away
Before you head off on your next holiday, it is worth spending twenty minutes making sure your home is ready too. Holiday home security really comes down to two things: strengthening the entry points that matter, and making sure your house does not look empty while you are away.
Crimsafe security screens, Wynmotion motorised blinds and a handful of everyday habits can work together to give you real peace of mind, without turning your pre-holiday prep into a big job. Here is how to put it all together.
What should you do to secure your home before going on holiday?
A good pre-holiday routine covers the basics, then builds from there. Before you lock up for the last time, run through:
- Secure doors and windows, and check locks are working properly
- Check your security screens and locks are in good condition
- Set up blinds and lighting to run on a normal schedule
- Manage mail, deliveries and bins
- Secure garages, sheds and outdoor areas
- Arrange for someone trusted to check the property
We’ll walk through each of these below.
Secure your doors and windows with Crimsafe security screens
Doors and windows are the first thing to check, because they are the parts of your home most people can reach without being seen. Before you leave:
- Check locks on every door and window, not just the front door
- Test locks on patio and balcony doors, which are easy to overlook
- Look at ground-floor windows and anything easily reached
- Check garage access points, including the door leading into the house
- Move spare keys away from obvious hiding spots, like under the mat or in a pot plant
Once the basics are covered, it is worth thinking about what is actually protecting those openings.
How do Crimsafe security screens help protect your home?
Crimsafe security screens and doors add a genuine layer of physical security to your windows and doors, without shutting out fresh air or natural light. Wynstan is Australia’s largest manufacturer and installer of Crimsafe, using Tensile-Tuff stainless steel mesh that has been independently tested by the University of Queensland to exceed the Australian Standard for security screens.
Crimsafe security doors and window screens let you keep windows open for airflow and ventilation while adding a tested layer of protection at the openings you use every day. They are one part of a good holiday routine, alongside locking up properly and the other steps in this checklist.
Explore Wynstan’s Crimsafe security range or take a closer look at Crimsafe security doors to find the right fit for your home.
How can you make your house look occupied while you're away?
A few small habits go a long way toward making your home look lived in:
- Vary blind positions during the day rather than leaving them all closed
- Use lighting timers so lights switch on and off at realistic times
- Have a neighbour collect mail and parcels rather than letting them pile up
- Move your bins out and in on collection day if you’ll be away that long
- Arrange garden maintenance on longer trips, so lawns and hedges don’t give the game away
- Ask someone trusted to check the property every few days
Should you leave your blinds open or closed when you go on holiday?
There isn’t one right answer, it depends on the window. Before you decide, think about:
- Whether valuables are visible from outside
- Whether the window faces the street or a private area, like a backyard
- Ground-floor windows, which are more exposed than upper floors
- How much privacy the room needs
- How much heat the room takes on if blinds stay closed all day
- How your blinds are normally positioned during the day
A street-facing living room with a television in view is a different case to a private bedroom window. As a general rule, keep your blinds close to how you’d normally leave them, and avoid anything that looks obviously staged, like every blind in the house shut in the middle of the day.
Can smart or motorised blinds help while you're away?
Wynmotion, Wynstan’s motorised blind system, can help your blinds keep to a normal routine even when nobody’s home. Compatible blinds can be scheduled to open and close at set times, and depending on your Wynmotion setup, controlled remotely through the Wynmotion app.
A simple daily schedule might look like this:
- Morning: Open or partially open
- Afternoon: Adjust for sunlight and privacy
- Evening: Close
Scheduled blind movements, paired with timed lighting, help your home keep a normal rhythm while you’re away. If you’re planning a trip, set up your schedule and test it a few days beforehand so you know it’s working as expected. Available scheduling, remote control and smart home features vary depending on your Wynmotion setup, so it’s worth checking what your system supports before you go.
Take a look at Wynstan’s motorisation range or the Wynmotion Smart Home System to see what’s possible for your blinds. Motorisation is also available on roller blinds, making it one of the easiest ranges to add a schedule to.
Use lighting to complement your automated blinds
Lighting and blinds work best together. A few ways to keep things looking natural:
- Use timers or smart lighting rather than leaving one lamp on for a fortnight
- Avoid leaving the same lights on around the clock, it reads as unusual rather than normal
- Vary which rooms light up in the evening, based on how your household normally moves through the house
- Time evening lighting to switch on around when your blinds close
None of this needs to be complicated. The goal is simply for your home to look and behave the way it normally would.
Don't overlook the other signs that your home is unattended
- Ask a trusted neighbour, friend or family member to collect mail and parcels, move bins and occasionally check the property
- Secure garages, sheds, gates and side access
- Put away tools, ladders and anything valuable left outside
- Arrange garden maintenance if you’re away for an extended period
- Be mindful about posting your travel dates publicly while you’re still away
Ask a trusted neighbour, friend or family member to help
A local set of eyes is one of the simplest and most effective parts of any holiday security plan. Someone nearby can:
- Collect mail and any unexpected deliveries
- Move your bins on collection day
- Check that doors and windows are secure
- Spot weather damage, like a fence panel down after a storm
- Let you know if anything looks out of place
It costs nothing, and it means someone can act quickly if anything does come up.
Your final holiday home security checklist
Run through this list before you lock up and head off:
- Lock all external doors and windows
- Check security screens and locks
- Remove spare keys from obvious locations
- Check what’s visible through your windows
- Set up and test motorised blind schedules
- Set lighting timers
- Arrange mail, parcels and bins
- Secure garages, sheds and outdoor areas
- Ask someone trusted to check the property
Frequently Asked Questions
How far in advance should I prepare my home before going on holiday?
Start a few days before you leave. That gives you time to test blind and lighting schedules, arrange mail and bin cover, and fix anything you find, like a stiff lock or a gate that doesn’t latch properly.
What should I check before leaving my house for an extended holiday?
For longer trips, check the same basics as always, then add garden maintenance, a longer mail hold or collection arrangement, and a more frequent check-in schedule with whoever is watching the property.
Should I leave lights on when I go on holiday?
Leaving one light on constantly is usually more obvious than helpful. Timers or smart lighting that mimic your normal evening pattern work better than a single light left burning the whole time you’re away.
Do I need someone to check my home while I’m away?
It’s not essential, but it’s one of the most useful things you can arrange. A trusted neighbour or family member can catch small issues, like a parcel left on the doorstep, before they become a sign that nobody’s home.
What should I do with deliveries and parcels while I’m on holiday?
Ask a neighbour to collect anything left at the door, or arrange a hold or pickup with the courier or post office if you’re away for more than a few days. Parcels piling up is one of the clearest signs a house is empty.
Heading away? Make sure your home is ready before you go.
Wynstan’s Crimsafe security screens and Wynmotion motorised blinds can add security, privacy and convenience to your home, and our team comes to you for a free measure and quote.
Book your FREE Consultation Today!
This article was written by Holly Braham. Holly Braham is the Brand Manager at Wynstan, where she has worked since 2023. She looks after brand partnerships, including Wynstan’s partnership with Michelle and Marty Taupau.
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