Home burglaries are most likely to happen at these times, security experts warn

Thief disguised as trash bag recorded stealing package from porch

A thief disguised as a trash bag was caught on camera stealing a package from a home in Sacramento, California, on March 29. (Credit: Omar Gabriel Munoz via Storyful)

As the holiday season ramps up, security experts are revealing the most common times burglars target homes and how to prevent them.

Experts at Automatic Technology (ATA), a specialist provider of secure garage doors, analyzed the key times when homes are most at risk for a burglary.

"The fear of someone hostile breaking into your home – the place you are meant to be most safe – is very powerful," ATA said in a statement.

Most robberies occur during daytime

Most people probably picture burglaries happening in the dead of night, when criminals can move under the cover of darkness.

But, according to ATA’s analysis of FBI data, 65% of robberies occur during the daytime, most commonly between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. This time of day is preferable for criminals because many homeowners are typically out of the house at work or school.

FILE: Posed scene of a man breaking into an apartment. (Credit: Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)

"Most burglars have zero desire to encounter the homeowner," said ATA. "They want to be in and out as fast as possible with no complications, so they look for times when no one will be home."

Summer is most frequent season for burglaries

ATA also found that summer is the most frequent season for burglaries due to unsecured windows or doors, along with people traveling for summer holidays.

"The first step to protecting your home is to lock all your windows and doors before leaving, even if just for a short time," ATA continued. "You should also make sure all items of value are inside or stored in a secure shed. These steps might seem simple, but burglaries are often opportunistic. If a criminal happens to try a door that you forgot to lock, that’s all the opening they need."

By comparison, a home is 11% less likely to be burgled in the winter, according to the findings.

But experts say to be on guard during holidays

Although home burglaries are less common in winter, ATA said homeowners should still be on guard during the holiday period, as criminals know that high-value presents could be gathered under Christmas trees, which could make a house a target.

"Leaving packaging from a new, expensive present outside your house could also indicate to a criminal that there’s something worth stealing inside your home," ATA noted.

The experts also suggest investing in a security system to deter burglars from your homes.

"Criminals are usually looking for the house that seems easiest to break into, so an obvious security camera and motion-activated lighting can be highly valuable deterrence tools," they said.

A study from UNC Charlotte reported that 60% of burglars would choose another home to target if they identified a security system.

Last year, Safewise, a security review company, found three out of four Americans had a package swiped in 2023, equating to over 119 million stolen packages. That was more than 5% compared to 2022.

Crime and Public Safety U.S.