Most hosts think about security while guests are in the house. In practice, the vulnerable window is the quiet stretch after one booking ends and before the next begins: the days when the drive is empty, the curtains are open, the lights are off and nobody is expected. The property is still holding a linen cupboard full of towels, a smart TV in the lounge, bikes in the hall and every other thing you spent money furnishing it with. The reassuring part is that protecting it during those gaps has far more to do with a dependable changeover routine, some simple checks and a smart security system.
Start With the Doors, Windows, Locks
Before anything clever, check the dull things. Guests open windows they never close, prop fire doors, unlatch the patio door and forget it entirely. Bathroom and landing windows are the usual culprits because nobody thinks to look up.
Walk the perimeter and physically try each door and window rather than glancing at them. Confirm that every external door is deadlocked, not just pulled to, and that any door with a euro cylinder has a decent anti-snap one fitted. If your property has patio or French doors, they are worth extra attention, as older ones can often be lifted or levered.
Keys, Codes and Knowing Exactly Who Can Get In
This is where most holiday homes are genuinely vulnerable. Over a few seasons, keys accumulate: the cleaner’s set, the previous cleaner’s set, one with a gardener, a spare with a neighbour, two in the key safe and one that a guest posted back and never arrived.
Write down who holds a key to your property. If you cannot account for every set, change the barrel. It is a cheap job compared with the alternative, and it resets the picture. If you are managing regular guest turnover, access control and electronic locking systems solve the two problems that physical keys create. An electronic system can log who opened which door and when, and access can be granted or withdrawn remotely without anyone driving out to change a cylinder. Whether it is worth doing depends entirely on the property, as a cottage thats rented a dozen weeks a year is a very different case from a townhouse turning over every Friday. A specialist such as Barry Bros Security can advise on which type of system suits the building and the way you actually use it. If you use a key safe, change the code after every stay rather than every season, because a code reused across bookings is effectively public.
Outbuildings matter too. A shed containing a spade, a crowbar and a step ladder is a gift to anyone with bad intentions, so keep it locked and keep tools out of sight.
The Walk Round After Guests Leave
Changeover day is your best chance to spot problems while they are still small. Alongside the usual cleaning check, look for anything security related: a window catch that no longer engages, a broken curtain track, a garden gate left swinging, a bulb gone in the porch light.
It also pays to notice whether the place looks obviously empty from outside. Post piled behind the door, an overflowing bin store and a bare driveway all advertise the same thing. A property that is well maintained, secure and clearly looked after does two jobs at once here: it gives opportunists nothing to work with during the quiet weeks, and it goes a long way towards making a strong first impression on incoming guests, which is what keeps the calendar full in the first place.
Lighting, Alarms and Sensible Deterrence
Exterior lighting is probably the best value upgrade for most properties. A dusk-to-dawn light over the main door and a motion-activated one covering the darker side of the building make the approach far less appealing. How much difference it makes depends on where you are: a town property on a lit street already has some help from the streetlights, whereas a cottage down an unlit rural lane has nothing at all after dark, and there your own lighting is doing all the work.
Inside, a couple of timed lamps or smart plugs on staggered schedules do a decent impression of someone being home, with no monitoring contract attached.
Alarms are worth it for some properties and overkill for others. A remote cottage with long empty spells and no neighbours in sight benefits more than a terraced townhouse with people either side who notice everything. If you do fit one, make sure it alerts you or a keyholder by phone, because a bell ringing at nobody is only a partial deterrent.
Cameras: Useful, but With Rules Attached
Cameras are where hosts most often get themselves into trouble, and the platform rules matter more than the spec sheet. Airbnb banned indoor cameras in listings worldwide from 30 April 2024, and the ban applies even to a device that is switched off. Vrbo takes a similarly strict line on anything capturing the interior.
Outdoor cameras are generally still permitted, provided you disclose their presence and rough location before a guest books and keep them away from private spaces such as hot tubs, garden showers or bedroom windows. If yours records beyond your own boundary, UK data protection rules come into play as well, so signage and a sensible retention period are worth sorting out properly.
For a property that is only empty in the gaps, a couple of battery outdoor cameras with local storage and no subscription usually cover the need. You want to know if the front door opens when nobody should be there, not to watch a live feed all evening.
A Simple Changeover Checklist
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All external doors deadlocked, all windows closed and latched (including upstairs and bathrooms)
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Key safe code changed, or guest access code expired
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Keys accounted for, spares logged
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Sheds, garages and gates locked, tools and ladders out of sight
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Valuables and equipment stored away from windows
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Exterior lights working, timers or smart plugs set
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Alarm armed and alerts going to a phone someone will answer
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Post and bins dealt with so the place does not look abandoned
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Heating set appropriately for the season, water off if leaving it long
Run through that in ten minutes at every changeover and you have covered most of what actually goes wrong. Security needs vary enormously between a village cottage and a city flat with a communal entrance, so assess your own property honestly, spend where it genuinely reduces risk, and let the routine do the rest.
FAQs
How Often Should You Change the Key Safe Code on a Holiday Home?
The code should be changed after every stay, not just every season. Reusing a code across multiple bookings makes it effectively public. A keypad or smart lock that issues a unique code per booking and expires it automatically at checkout is a more secure alternative.
What Lock Standard Should a Holiday Home Door Have?
Every external door should be deadlocked rather than just pulled to, and any door fitted with a euro cylinder should have an anti-snap rated one. Older euro cylinders may not meet this standard, and a specialist can assess whether existing locks need replacing or whether an electronic access system would suit the property better.
Does Holiday Home Insurance Cover Long Empty Periods?
Many holiday home and second home policies restrict cover once a property has stood empty for a set number of consecutive days. Policies often also specify minimum lock standards or winter heating conditions, so it is worth checking the exact wording with your insurer or broker rather than assuming cover is in place.
