Before you leave on vacation, a checklist for the house

A house that looks empty draws burglars, and a leak or a frozen pipe can run for days before anyone notices.

Make the house look lived in

• Set lights on timersIndoor lights that switch on and off at set times make the house look occupied.
• Put the mail on holdThe Postal Service holds mail at the local post office for 3 to 30 days, and you can schedule a hold online up to 30 days ahead. For a longer trip, mail forwarding is the option.
• Cancel deliveries, or have a trusted neighbor collect themA pile of newspapers in the driveway or packages at the door is a clear sign that nobody's home.
• Give a trusted neighbor your travel schedule
• Light up or clear out places where someone could hideLeave the front, back and side entrances lit, and have shrubs by doors and windows trimmed back.

Lock up

• Lock every door and window, including the deadboltsThe thumb-turn lock between the two halves of a double-hung window can be pried open, or reached through a broken pane.
• Put a wood dowel or a metal bar in the track of each sliding glass doorIt keeps the door from opening even if the lock is forced.
• Leave the spare key with a trusted neighborDon't hide it under the doormat, in a planter, on a ledge or in the mailbox. Burglars have more experience finding hidden keys than most people have hiding them.

Water and heat

• Turn off the water supply to the washing machine
• Don't leave while the washer or dishwasher is still running
• Know where the main water shutoff is, and show the neighbor who checks on the houseA damaged hose or a burst pipe can send water racing into the house, and shutting off the main quickly limits the damage.
• In cold weather, leave the heat on, set no lower than 55°FA higher heating bill costs far less than the repair after a pipe freezes and bursts. Pipes in unheated spaces, such as the garage, the crawl space or a cabinet on an outside wall, freeze first.