An empty house advertises itself. Not through anything dramatic — through a porch light that never changes, a driveway that stays empty, and a stack of parcels by the door. Most of what keeps a Tulsa home secure while you are away costs nothing and takes an afternoon before you leave.
Start with the doors, because that is how they get in
Before anything clever, check the boring things. Every exterior door should have a deadbolt that throws fully into the strike without being shouldered. If a door has to be lifted or leaned on to lock, the frame has shifted and the bolt is not seating — that door is latched, not locked.
Check that the strike plate is anchored into the stud behind the frame, not just the trim. A three-inch screw into framing turns a kick-in from a two-second job into a real problem for somebody. It is the single cheapest security upgrade in the house.
Make the house look occupied, not staged
Timers on two or three interior lamps, set to different hours, read as a household. One lamp on a timer clicking on at the same minute every evening reads as a timer.
- Ask a neighbour to park in the driveway occasionally.
- Have mail and parcels held or collected — not left to pile up.
- Arrange for the lawn to be cut if you will be gone more than a week.
- Leave blinds where you normally leave them. Every blind shut is its own signal.
Do not announce it
The vacation photos can wait until you are home. A public post with a location tag tells anyone who follows you that the house is empty and roughly for how long. This includes the out-of-office auto-reply that helpfully gives your return date to every stranger who emails you.
Before you leave: unplug what does not need power, turn the main water valve off if you will be gone more than a few days, and set the thermostat rather than switching it off entirely. A burst line does more damage to an empty house than a burglar.
Who has a key while you are gone
If you are giving someone a key for the week, that is sensible. What is worth thinking about is what happens after. A key handed out for a one-week trip is a key in circulation permanently unless you do something about it.
This is where a keypad or smart lock earns its cost: you issue a code, and when you are home you delete it. No key to retrieve, no awkward conversation, no wondering. If you would rather stay mechanical, a rekey when you return is inexpensive and final.
And whatever you do, not the fake rock. Everyone knows about the fake rock.
What we get called about in August
Two things, mostly. The first is people who came home to a door that had been forced at the frame — repairable, but the repair is the frame and the strike, not just the lock. The second is people who gave a key to someone for a trip, never got it back, and want the locks rekeyed. That second call is a fifteen-minute job per cylinder and it closes the loop properly.