Shelter · Home Security
How burglars choose a house. And what makes them pass it by.
Most break-ins are decided on the spot, not after days of watching. Here is what burglar research shows they look for, and the ordinary signals that send them on to another street.
By Dan Whelan, founder of New World Survival
Researched from government agencies, university extension services, and other published sources. See our sources
The evidence
Most break-ins are decided on the spot.
The picture of a burglar watching a house for days makes for good television, but it is not what burglars describe. In a University of North Carolina at Charlotte survey of 422 incarcerated burglars, about 12 percent said they typically planned a burglary, 41 percent said it was usually a spur-of-the-moment decision, and 37 percent said it varied. Just under a third said they gathered information about a target first.1
A field study came to the same place from a different direction. Researchers rode along with 30 active burglars in West Texas while they reconstructed past break-ins, and classified more than three in four as crimes of opportunity.2 Most of the burglaries in the UNC Charlotte survey took less than 10 minutes.1
Federal survey data fill in the rest. In about half of household burglaries there was no forced entry at all, and nobody was home in roughly seven of every ten.3 For most households, that is encouraging. A decision made in a minute from the sidewalk can be changed by what a person sees in that minute.
What they look for
Three questions, asked from the curb.
The Texas researchers found that burglars assume most houses hold something worth taking, then size up risk with cues at or near the house: whether anyone would see them, whether anyone is home, and how readily they could get in.2 Each question has a plain, inexpensive answer.
1. Would anyone see me?
Most burglars in the UNC Charlotte survey said they weigh how close other people are: traffic, people walking by, neighbors, and police.1 Tall hedges, dark side yards, and solid fences answer this question in their favor.
What helps: low shrubs and open sightlines (see Security Landscaping), light where people approach (see Lighting and Visibility), and neighbors who know your routine.
2. Is anyone home?
Burglars prefer an empty house. People inside, noise inside, a dog, and a car in the driveway were among the signals the UNC Charlotte respondents said they watch for and avoid.1
What helps: a house that looks lived in every day, and especially when you travel. The section below covers timers, mail holds, and the neighbor who picks up the packages.
3. How easy is it to get in?
Most of the surveyed burglars got in through open doors and windows, or by forcing them. Only about one in eight picked a lock or used a key they had gotten earlier.1
What helps: a locking routine everyone follows (see Daily Security Habits), long strike plate screws (see Door Security), and ladders put away.
And underneath: is it worth it?
The surveyed burglars were after cash first (79 percent), then jewelry (68 percent), illegal drugs, electronics, and prescription drugs. About 65 percent of those who stole items got rid of them right away.1
What helps: keep laptops, purses, and keys out of view from windows. Police suggest a safe or lockbox for jewelry and documents.5 A home inventory makes any loss easier to claim.
What turns them away
People, noise, and the chance of being seen.
Asked what would make them skip a house and move on, the burglars in the UNC Charlotte survey put people at the top of the list.1
Someone inside
Residents at home, or noises that suggest someone is there, were named as primary deterrents.1 This is why the lived-in signals below matter.
Neighbors and passersby
Neighbors, people walking nearby, and visible police officers made the same list.1 A street where people know each other is a street where a stranger gets noticed.
A dog
Dogs were also named as a primary deterrent.1 That is a reason to appreciate the dog you have, not a reason to get one for security.
An alarm
About 60 percent said an alarm would send them to a different target. Of those who discovered one mid-attempt, half said they would never continue.1 See Alarm Systems.
Cameras
Outdoor cameras and other surveillance were among the factors a majority considered.1 See Security Cameras for placement and storage.
Lighting, honestly
Fewer than a third of the surveyed burglars said they think about lighting. Yet a randomized trial in New York City found added lighting cut outdoor nighttime crime by at least 36 percent.4 What people say and what they do are not always the same.
What this research can and cannot tell you. The UNC Charlotte study surveyed people in prison, so it cannot say whether burglars who were never caught behave the same way, and only 28 percent of those asked took part.1 It was funded by the Alarm Industry Research and Educational Foundation.6
The Texas field study followed 30 people in one city in the early 1990s. Its authors also warned that burglars interviewed in prison tend to remember themselves as more deliberate than they were.2 Treat the numbers as a strong pattern, not a promise. Every measure on this page deters or delays. None prevents every break-in.
Looking lived in
Answer "is anyone home?" before anyone asks.
Police vacation checklists from around the country say the same things, because the same cues give an empty house away. None of these steps is costly, and most take a few minutes before you leave.
Light and sound on a schedule
The King County Sheriff's Office recommends timers on lights, radios, or TVs that switch on and off during the day and night, so the house appears occupied.7 Set them to different times in different rooms, the way a household actually moves through an evening.5
The same office warns against leaving the porch light on for the whole trip, which signals that nobody is home, and suggests motion lights outside instead.7 Seattle police go a step further: use timers every day, not only when you travel.8
A plug-in mechanical or digital timer runs a lamp. A smart plug does the same from a phone app and can shift its schedule while you are away. Either one works. The point is lights that change, not lights that stay on.
Nothing piling up
A stack of mail, newspapers, or packages tells anyone walking by how long the house has been empty.5 The U.S. Postal Service will hold your mail at the post office for 3 to 30 days, and you can request it online up to 30 days ahead.9
Ask a neighbor to pick up packages and the free flyers left on the porch. Arrange for the lawn to be mowed in summer and the walk shoveled in winter, and leave blinds in their usual position.7
In the UNC Charlotte survey, fewer than a third of burglars said they look at full mailboxes.1 The steps are still worth doing. They cost nothing, and they also keep packages from walking off.
People who know you're gone
Tell a trusted neighbor your dates and how to reach you, and ask them to call in anything unusual.7 Many police departments offer a free house check while you are away. King County asks for its form at least 48 hours before you leave.7
Leave a spare key with that neighbor, never hidden outside.5 Hold off on posting travel photos until you are back, as Daily Security Habits explains.
The garage and the car
For longer trips, King County suggests disconnecting the electric garage door opener and padlocking the door from inside, and locking the side garage door.7
Lock any vehicle you leave behind, even in the garage, and take the valuables out of it first.7
The 30-second walk
Stand at the curb and look at your house.
Walk out to the street, turn around, and give your home the same quick look a stranger would. Do it once in daylight and once after dark. Each item points to the guide that fixes it.
Can you see the front door, and the windows beside it?
If shrubs or a fence hide them, someone working at that door is hidden too. Security Landscaping covers the low-shrub, high-canopy rule.
Is there a dark side yard or back approach?
A motion light on each side of the house closes the most common gap. See Lighting and Visibility.
Does anything say the house is empty?
Mail or packages on the porch, a porch light left on in daylight, every window dark at night. The lived-in steps above answer each one.
Is a window open, or a door not locked, right now?
Most of the surveyed burglars got in through doors and windows that were open or easy to force.1 A nightly locking routine closes the first gap for free. See Daily Security Habits.
Is a ladder, a step stool, or a trellis near an upper window?
Put it away or move it. Security Landscaping covers climbing aids and tree limbs.
Can you see a laptop, purse, or keys through a window?
Move them out of sight from the street, especially near the front door.
Can you read the house number from the street, day and night?
This one is about help reaching you, not deterrence. Police and firefighters need to find the right door quickly.
Common mistakes
Five habits that send the wrong signal.
Leaving one light on for the whole trip
A porch light burning at noon on day four says the opposite of what you meant.7 Lights that switch on and off, in more than one room, look like a household.
Planning for the mastermind and missing the open window
Most break-ins in the research are quick and opportunistic, through doors and windows that were open or easy to force.1,2 The locking routine and a solid strike plate come before any gadget.
A privacy hedge across the front of the house
It hides the house from the street, and it hides anyone at the door from the street too. Most burglars weigh whether other people could see them.1 Low planting near entries and windows keeps that question working for you.
Hiding the spare key outside
Under the mat, in the planter, on the ledge. Police advise leaving keys with a trusted neighbor instead.5
Keeping the trip a secret from the neighbors
Discretion online is good. Silence next door is not. The neighbor who knows you are away is the one who notices the van that should not be there.7
Related guides
From the curb to the front door.
Each answer above has a guide that goes deeper.
Security Landscaping
Low shrubs, high canopies, thorny plants where they fit, and the wildfire-country exception.
The Layers of Home Security
Seven layers from the property line to daily habits, and where to start.
Daily Security Habits
The locking routine, spare keys, garage discipline, and what to keep quiet.
Know Your Neighbors
The people next door were near the top of the burglars' list. Here is how to meet them.
Common questions
The questions that come up most.
Do burglars stake out a house before breaking in?
Most do not. In a University of North Carolina at Charlotte survey of 422 incarcerated burglars, about 12 percent said they typically planned a burglary, 41 percent said it was usually a spur-of-the-moment decision, and 37 percent said it varied. Just under a third said they collected information about a target first. A field study of 30 active burglars in Texas classified more than three in four of their reconstructed burglaries as crimes of opportunity.
What makes a burglar pass a house by?
Signs that someone could see them or is home. In the UNC Charlotte survey, burglars named people inside or noises suggesting someone was there, visible police officers, neighbors, people walking nearby, and dogs as primary deterrents. About 60 percent said an alarm would send them to a different target.
Do light timers really help when I'm away?
Timers are a standard part of police vacation advice. The King County Sheriff's Office recommends timers on lights, radios, or TVs that switch on and off during the day and night so the home appears occupied, and warns against leaving the porch light on for the whole trip. No study we found measures timers alone, so treat them as one inexpensive signal among several, alongside a mail hold, a neighbor who picks up packages, and locked doors.
Continue reading
What’s next
Recovery
After a Break-In: What to Do First
The first calls, the police report and insurance claim, rekeying, and protecting your identity if documents or checks were taken.
Community
Know Your Neighbors
Why the people next door matter in an emergency, and simple ways to meet them that do not feel forced.
Home Security
The Layers of Home Security
Seven layers from the property line to daily habits. Assess each one and build from the outside in.