Overview

• Insurers logged about 90,000 break-ins in Germany in 2024 with average losses of €3,800 per incident.
• Timers and smart-home apps can automate lights, shutters and alarms to create the illusion of occupancy.
• Homeowners should avoid social media vacation posts, travel-themed voicemail greetings and visible delivery notices.
• Enlisting neighbors to clear mail, handle packages and tend gardens helps erase signs of absence.
• Reinforced locks, window sensors, safes and motion-detection lighting form multi-layered defenses that thwart nearly half of attempted break-ins.