Think like someone walking past your house
Before you pack, spend ten minutes outside your own home. Stand at the curb and look at what a stranger would see: closed blinds in the middle of the day, packages piling up, a car that has not moved, a trash bin left out. None of that is a lock problem, but it shapes how tempting the door looks.
Then walk the perimeter and look only at entry points. Front door, back door, side gate, sliding glass door, garage entry, windows near the ground, and any door that opens from a lanai or screened porch. Most trouble comes through the opening you stopped thinking about years ago.
This page is general guidance for homeowners across Broward County. It cannot replace advice from someone looking at your actual doors, so treat it as a framework to adapt rather than a rulebook.
Write down what you find as you go. A short list on your phone, with entries like back door deadbolt sticks or lanai window latch loose, turns a vague worry into a set of small jobs you can finish or hand to a professional. People who skip this step tend to remember the problem only after they have landed.
Test every lock like you mean it
Locks fail quietly. A deadbolt that has been getting stiff for months can feel fine on a Tuesday and refuse to turn the night before your flight. Operate every lock on every exterior door, with the key, from both sides, and notice how each one feels. Take your time here, because a lock that feels slightly off today is the one most likely to fail when you are far away and cannot do anything about it.
If a key turns reluctantly, the throw is short, or the bolt has to be lifted while you turn, the door and the lock are not lined up. That is a repair worth doing before you leave, not after you come home to a door that never fully locked. Our guide on doors that will not latch describes the usual causes.
Give special attention to the lock you use every day. Worn keys, tired springs and humidity swelling the door all show up first at the main entrance. If you find yourself jiggling the key or lifting the handle to get the bolt to catch, a technician can usually correct it with an adjustment or a fresh cylinder.
Do the same test with a spare key if you have one. A copy that was cut poorly, or cut from another copy, can bind or fail even when the original works well. Better to learn that now than when your house sitter is standing on the porch with a key that will not turn.
The door matters as much as the lock
A strong deadbolt set into a weak door frame is only as strong as the frame. Look at the strike plate, the small metal plate on the jamb where the bolt enters. If it is held with short screws that only bite into thin trim, a hard shove can split the wood. Longer screws that reach the framing behind the trim make a real difference.
Hinges are the other half. On an outward opening door the hinge pins are exposed unless they are designed to resist removal, and loose hinge screws give a door room to flex. Tighten what you can, and note what looks worn.
If the door has been kicked, warped or patched before, take that seriously. Our article on stopping door kick ins with a stronger strike plate explains the upgrade in plain words, and it is the kind of small job that suits the week before a trip.
Do not forget the hardware that holds the lock in place. Handle sets that spin, deadbolt cylinders that wiggle in the door and thumb turns that feel loose are signs that screws have worked loose and backed out. Tighten what you can reach, and if a part spins without gripping, a technician can replace the fastener or the lock.
Sliding doors and windows deserve a second look
Sliding glass doors are common across Florida homes and they are often protected by nothing more than the factory latch. That latch can be lifted or loosened if the door rattles in its track. Some households add a secondary device that holds the door shut mechanically, even if the main latch is disturbed. See our notes on sliding glass door locks for ideas.
Windows are the quiet gap in many security plans. Ground floor windows, windows over a porch roof, and bathroom windows left cracked for airflow are the usual weak points. Check that every latch engages fully and that any lock on the frame actually turns.
Window hardware ages in coastal air. Corrosion can stop a latch from seating, and a lock that looks closed may not be. Our page on window locks as a security upgrade goes deeper, and it is a good read before you decide which openings to prioritize.
Think about what you can see through the glass, too. A sliding door with a view straight to a desk, a bag or a key hook gives anyone looking in a reason to try the handle. Close curtains on the rooms with valuables, and keep tempting items away from windows.
The garage entry and the door behind it
The door between the garage and the house is frequently the weakest door in the building. It is out of sight, it is often a lighter interior style door, and the lock on it may be a basic privacy set. If someone gets into the garage, that door becomes the next obstacle.
Make sure it has a real deadbolt, a solid frame and a strike plate with long screws. Keep it locked even when you are home, so the habit carries over when you are away.
If your garage door opener has a remote, think about where the remote lives. A remote left in a parked car in the driveway is an invitation. Take it with you or store it inside. For a wider look at this vulnerability, read our guide to garage entry door security. Any work on the garage door itself, including springs, cables and opener repair, belongs to a trained technician, not to a weekend project.
Finally, look at the garage floor and walls. Tools, ladders and bikes stored in plain view give someone with bad intentions a ready set of equipment. Put ladders away and secure what you can before you go, since a closed garage door only protects what is behind it when nothing inside helps a person reach the house.
Spare keys: hiding them is not a plan
Many people leave a spare key for a neighbor or relative, which is fine when that person is reliable. What is not fine is a key under a mat, in a fake rock or on top of the door frame. Those are the first places anyone checks. Our discussion of smarter ways to handle a spare key explains better options.
Before you leave, count your keys. Know who has one, and know whether you can account for every copy. If a former tenant, contractor or ex partner still holds a key, this is the moment to fix that. Rekeying changes the inside of your locks so old keys stop working without replacing the hardware.
If you cannot account for your keys, or one has gone missing recently, read what to do when house keys are lost before you travel. Leaving with an unknown key in circulation is a risk you can remove with a single call.
A neighbor holding a key should know how to use it properly, including which way each lock turns and which door sticks. A short walk through before you leave prevents the phone call from a confused helper at the front door. Write the quirks down if you can, such as lift the handle first, so the instructions are with the key.
Smart locks and keypads while you are away
If you have a keypad or smart lock, vacation is when its features earn their keep. You can delete codes you gave to guests or workers, create a temporary code for a house sitter, and in some models check the entry log from your phone. Look at the list of active codes before you leave and remove anything you do not recognize.
Keep the battery in mind. A lock that dies while you are gone leaves you or your sitter on the wrong side of the door, and the warning signs, such as a slow motor or a dim light, are easy to miss. Replace batteries before the trip, and see our notes on what to do when a smart lock battery dies.
If you are deciding between a keypad and a full smart lock, our comparison of keypad and smart lock options can help. Whatever you choose, keep a mechanical key option. Humidity and salt air are hard on electronics, and a key is a dependable fallback.
Think about the less obvious electronics too. A video doorbell, an entry sensor or a connected hub may rely on your home network, and an outage can leave it silent. Check that the devices have power and a connection before you go, and decide who will receive alerts if something happens while you are away.
Prepare for weather as well as for people
A trip during hurricane season means your lock plan and your storm plan overlap. Shutters need to be stored somewhere you can reach, and doors and windows need to latch fully so wind and pressure do not work on a loose opening. If a storm threatens while you are away, you want someone trusted who can get in. Open the app or the lock settings and read them line by line, since defaults that suit daily life, such as auto relock or a long code list, may not suit an empty house.
Decide ahead of time who that person is and how they will enter. Give them a way in that does not rely on a key hidden outside. Our guide on locks, doors and keys during hurricane season covers the habits that make storm preparation smoother.
After a heavy storm, humidity and shifting can leave doors swollen or misaligned. Ask your sitter to test the locks on return and to report anything that feels different. A door that starts sticking after a storm often just needs adjustment, but it is worth catching early.
If your property has shutters, track covers or an impact door, confirm that the locks and bolts on those pieces still move freely. Salt air can seize hardware that is rarely used, and the first time you learn that is in front of an approaching storm. Work each lock and latch through its full motion before you leave.
Who you tell, and what you post
The safest vacation plan involves very few people. Tell the neighbor or relative who is watching the house, and stop there. Posting your itinerary publicly, even with a lovely photo from the airport, tells strangers the house is empty.
Ask your helper to do ordinary things that make the house look lived in: bring in mail and packages, move a bin to the curb, open a blind. Those small actions matter more than a hidden gadget.
Keep access simple and traceable. If a pet sitter, cleaner or contractor needs to enter, give them a way in that you can cancel afterward. A temporary code you delete beats a key you hope comes back. If you manage a rental or vacation property, the points in smart locks for short term rentals are worth reading too.
Remember that the people you trust can still be careless with a key. Ask your helper not to leave it in the lock, not to photograph it, and not to pass it along. Simple expectations stated kindly are easier to keep than assumptions.
If something looks wrong when you return
Approach your own door with attention. If it is open, damaged or marked, do not walk in alone. Stay out, move somewhere safe and call the proper authorities first. A locksmith is for securing the property afterward, not for investigating it.
Once the scene is cleared and any report is filed, you will likely need the doors secured again. Our after a break in recovery checklist walks through the order of steps, including what to do about damaged locks and compromised keys.
If you are simply locked out because a key or code failed after travel, call and describe the door and what you tried. The work and the price are explained before it begins, and the finished lock is tested with you. For regular lock service at home, see our house lockout and rekey page.
If damage is serious, take photographs before touching anything and keep records of what you find. Your insurance company and the authorities will have their own requirements for what to document, and those requirements vary, so ask them rather than relying on guesswork. A locksmith can describe what was done to the lock in plain terms if that helps.
The one page version for your fridge
If you want a short list to tape up before departure, it comes down to a few habits. Test every exterior lock from both sides. Look at strike plates and hinges. Secure sliding doors and ground floor windows. Make sure the garage entry door is solid and locked. Account for every key and remove old codes.
Add a plan for weather and a plan for who enters if something goes wrong. Put a fresh battery in any electronic lock, and keep a mechanical way in. Keep your travel plans private.
None of these steps is dramatic, and none requires special tools. Together, they move the odds in your favor and let you enjoy the trip. If any step turns up a lock that needs real work, make that call before you leave, not after.
It also helps to schedule a lock check once a year, not only before trips. Hardware wears gradually, and the right time to find an issue is when nothing is riding on it. For a broader look at choosing sturdier hardware, our page on whether your locks are good enough is a useful follow up.