Christmas week. Long weekends in summer. Stampede.
People come home from visiting family or camping trips to find their door kicked in. The pattern repeats every year, and thieves know it as well as I do.
Calgary's Break-In Problem During Travel Seasons
Break-ins in Calgary have been climbing, and the trend shows no signs of slowing down. Thieves watch for predictable travel patterns, especially during holidays when entire neighbourhoods empty out.
They look for specific signs that tell them you're away.
Mail piling up in your mailbox. Snow sitting untouched on your driveway for days. Lights that never turn on. These visual cues turn your home into a target.
In Calgary's winter climate, an unshoveled driveway becomes a billboard advertising an empty house. This creates a security challenge that doesn't exist in warmer cities.
The Builder Lock Problem Most Homeowners Don't Know About
Here's something that surprises people when I explain it during security evaluations.
That deadbolt on your door? If it came with the house, it's probably a builder lock.
Builder locks are designed to keep your door from blowing open in the wind. That's it. They're cheap locks that builders install because they need something on the door. They won't stop someone who wants to get in.
I see this every day. Homeowners think they're secure because they have a deadbolt, but builder grade locks create a false sense of security. The gap between what people think they have and what actually protects them causes real problems.
If you already have concerns about your locks, that's your signal to get a locksmith evaluation before you travel.
Why Layered Security Works (The Calgary Winter Analogy)
Security works the same way you stay warm in a Calgary winter.
You don't just put on a heavy coat and call it done. You layer up. Base layer, insulation, outer shell. Each layer adds protection.
Layered security follows the same principle.
Your first layer is quality locks. Multi-lock deadbolts that actually interlock with your door frame provide real resistance. These are the only deadbolts in the world that interlock into the frame itself, making forced entry significantly harder.
Your second layer might be cameras that have AI detection for identifying humans or vehicles and send instant notifications to your phone. Whether you're in Mexico or visiting family in Ontario, you know immediately if someone's in your backyard.
Your third layer could be an interior alarm system. If someone manages to get past your locks, the siren goes off and you can dispatch help through your phone app without waiting for a monitoring station to call you back.
Time matters during a break-in. Every layer you add increases the time it takes to get in, and time is what thieves don't have.
The Neighbor Factor You Can't Ignore
The single most important piece of advice I give Calgary homeowners preparing to travel?
Communicate with your trusted neighbors.
Let them know you're leaving. Ask if they can clear your driveway after a snowfall or collect your mail. Offer to return the favor when they travel.
Neighbors who maintain your property appearance create the illusion that someone's home. They also keep an eye on things and notice if something looks wrong.
This partnership costs nothing and provides protection that technology can't match.
Smart Technology That Actually Works in Calgary's Climate
Smart lighting used to be more effective than it is now. As more people install it, thieves have adapted. Motion-activated lights still signal occupancy, but they're not the deterrent they once were.
Cameras remain valuable because they do more than deter. They notify you in real time when they detect a person on your property. That instant notification gives you the ability to verify what's happening and respond immediately.
Here's the catch with Calgary's climate: you need to talk to a professional who knows which systems work in extreme cold.
Products sold on Amazon or at big box stores are marketed across the country. The same camera sold to someone in Florida gets sold here, but it might freeze up when temperatures hit minus 15. A local professional knows which products actually function in our weather.
The system we supply and install is Alarm.com for interior security systems because it's easy for clients to use and provides instant notifications. You can tell the monitoring station to dispatch or not dispatch directly through the app, cutting out delays when every minute counts.
Making Your Home a Harder Target Than Your Neighbor's
Thieves look for easy targets. They move on when a property takes too long to breach.
Your goal isn't to make your home impenetrable. Your goal is to make it more difficult than the house across the street or up the road.
Quality deadbolts on your doors. Bolt buddies reinforcing your door jambs. Window security that prevents someone from sliding them open with a screwdriver. These physical barriers create time delays that discourage break-in attempts.
The more time you keep them out, the less likely they'll even try.
What to Do Before Your Next Trip
Start with an honest assessment of your current security.
Walk around your property and look at it the way a thief would. Can you see weak points? Are your locks the same ones that came with the house? Do your windows open easily?
Get a locksmith to evaluate your entry points. We see break-ins every day, so we know how thieves get in and how to keep them out.
Set up your neighbor partnership before you leave. Make sure they have your contact information and know your travel dates.
Test your camera and alarm systems to confirm they're working properly. Check that you're receiving notifications on your phone.
These steps take less time than you think and cost less than dealing with a break-in after the fact.
The Reality About Home Security
People sometimes say "if they want to get in, they're going to get in."
If you believed that, you'd just leave your doors unlocked.
The truth is that security measures work. They redirect thieves to easier targets. They buy you time to respond. They protect your property while you're away.
Calgary's travel seasons create predictable vulnerability windows. Break-ins will keep rising as long as homes remain easy targets.
But you can control how secure your property is. Layer your defenses. Upgrade your locks. Build relationships with neighbors. Choose technology that works in our climate.
Your home doesn't need to be a fortress. It just needs to be harder to break into than the alternatives.
That's the difference between coming home to an intact house and coming home to a kicked-in door.