Keeping Your Belongings Safe Over the Christmas Break

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As students prepare to travel home for Christmas, campuses and student neighbourhoods begin to empty. This quiet period is relaxing for you, but it can be attractive to opportunistic thieves who know student areas will be full of empty rooms and houses. University housing offices, campus safety teams, and police services specifically warn that holiday breaks are a higher risk time for theft from student accommodation. A bit of preparation before you leave can greatly reduce the chance that anything happens to your belongings.

Know What You Have, And What You Will Take Home

A good starting point is a simple inventory. Walk slowly through your room or apartment and note items such as laptops, tablets, gaming consoles, cameras, musical instruments, and important documents. Many campus safety offices recommend photographing valuables and recording serial numbers, because this makes it easier to identify property if it is recovered by police. 

For long breaks, security bulletins aimed at students consistently advise taking small, high-value items home rather than leaving them in an empty room, especially electronics, jewellery, and hard drives.  Anything that would be difficult to replace and is easy to carry is usually safer travelling with you.

Securing On-Campus Accommodation

If you live in residence or other university-managed housing, review any winter break messages or checklists from your housing office. These are based on past incidents and risk assessments and often include very specific instructions about locking, closing windows, visitors, and energy use. 

Before you leave, check that all windows are fully closed and latched, including bathroom and hallway windows, and that your door lock engages properly when you close it. Campus security guidance repeatedly stresses that students sometimes close a door without turning the lock, which leaves the room easy to enter.  Do not prop open exterior doors while moving luggage. If a door does not close or a lock is faulty, report it to residence staff or maintenance early so that repairs can be arranged.

Some residences offer storage for bicycles or larger items over the break. Where this exists, campus and police crime prevention material recommends using it rather than leaving bikes or equipment unattended in outdoor racks for several weeks. 

Extra precautions for off-campus housing

Students who live off campus in houses or apartments face many of the same risks as other renters, and often with less built-in security than a residence building. Off campus living guides and municipal safety pages give very similar advice: ensure there are working locks on all external doors and windows and use them every time the house is empty. 

Talk with your housemates about holiday plans so that everyone knows who is leaving and when. It is easy for one person to assume another is still at home and leave windows or back doors unlocked. Before the last person leaves, walk through the whole property and check every door and window, including basement and balcony access. Several student-focused safety resources and police checklists highlight simple measures such as locking sliding doors with a bar or dowel, good-quality deadbolts on external doors, and working exterior lights. 

Security advice for renters also suggests making the house look lived in. Timer switches or smart plugs for a few lights, curtains left in normal positions, and mail collected by a trusted neighbour can help the property appear occupied.  Never leave spare keys in obvious places outside, such as under mats or in plant pots, since burglars look there first. 

Storing Valuables That Stay Behind

Some items will remain on campus even if you take the most important things home. How you store these makes a difference. Campus safety offices and police both advise keeping valuables out of sight of doors and windows and not leaving laptops or consoles in full view on desks.  Place them in drawers, cupboards, or storage trunks, preferably in a lockable space.

Important documents such as passports, banking information, and academic records should either travel with you or be stored as securely as possible. If your accommodation has built in lockable cupboards, or if you own a small safe that can be fixed to furniture, this is an appropriate place for small but sensitive items.

Technology, Social Media, and “Looking Lived-In”

Security technology can help, particularly in off-campus houses. Advice from police and home security specialist’s highlights monitored alarms, door and window sensors, and motion-activated lights as effective deterrents.  Smart cameras and video doorbells can add another layer, provided you respect housemates’ privacy and any local rules.

At the same time, social media can unintentionally undermine your efforts. Many crime prevention campaigns now warn that publicly posting detailed travel plans and photos of packed cars can signal that a property will be empty.  Consider sharing real time travel details only with close friends and save public posts for after you return. Avoid imagery that clearly reveals the layout of your room or the exact position of valuables.

Insurance, Property Registration, and What to Do If Something Happens

Home, renter, or student contents insurance can reduce financial loss if something is stolen. Security and consumer advice recommend checking policy details before you leave, since some policies have conditions about how long a property can be unoccupied.  Keep receipts, serial numbers, and photos of key items somewhere safe, separate from the belongings themselves.

Several police services and universities encourage students to register valuables such as laptops and bicycles on national or local property databases and to mark them with identifiable labels.  This increases the chance that property can be identified and returned if it is recovered after a theft.

If you return from the break and think a break-in has occurred, do not enter the property if there are signs of forced entry, such as broken glass or a damaged door. Crime prevention material for students advises moving to a safe place, contacting local police, and then informing your landlord or residence office.  Entering could disturb evidence and might put you at risk if someone is still inside.

Looking Out for One Another

Safety improves when people look out for one another. University housing departments and campus police repeatedly stress the value of communication: telling roommates and trusted neighbours your approximate travel dates, checking that friends have locked their doors and windows as term ends, and reporting suspicious behaviour around student residences. 

Once you have taken valuables home, secured what remains, checked doors and windows, and agreed plans with housemates and neighbours, you can travel with greater peace of mind. A small amount of preparation before you leave campus can protect years of accumulated belongings and allow you to focus on rest, family, and celebration over the Christmas break.

References

1. Queen’s Campus Security and Emergency Services – Safety Tips: https://www.queensu.ca/risk/security/tips

2. Queen’s Off-Campus Living Advisor – Prepare Your Home for the Holiday Shutdown: https://www.queensu.ca/ocla/prepare-your-home-holiday-shutdown

3. Queen’s Off-Campus Living Advisor – Theft Prevention: https://www.queensu.ca/ocla/off-campus-student-living-guide/theft-prevention

4. Kingston Police – Holiday Crime Prevention: https://www.kingstonpolice.ca/crime-prevention-and-safety/holiday-crime-prevention/

5. Kingston Police – Student Safety: https://www.kingstonpolice.ca/crime-prevention-and-safety/personal-safety/student-safety/

6. RCMP – Home Security Tips: https://rcmp.ca/en/bc/safety-tips/theft-and-vandalism/home-security-tips