As the spring semester winds to a close, you’re frantically writing term papers, cramming for finals, and trying to fit in one last shuffle with your friends. When that last final is turned in, and you’ve crawled out of that Fish Bowl crater of a hangover, you’re probably flying out of Athens like a bat out of hell. And burglars are hiding in the bushes, waiting for you to leave.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: student rentals are prime targets over summer break, whether you’re in a full house or one of the smaller Athens, Ohio studio apartment options near campus. Police departments across college towns consistently point out that break-ins are crimes of opportunity; thieves aren’t picking locks or breaking windows for the challenge; they’re looking for the easiest, emptiest house on the block. An entire student neighborhood clearing out for three months at once is basically an open invitation if nobody bothers to lock things down properly. Don’t leave them much of a payday. Be smart. Here’s how to keep your Athens rental safe and secure while you’re away all summer.
Double Check the Locks
The last person out should always double-check every lock in the place, not just the front door. That includes all the windows, the back door, and that basement door everyone practically forgets even exists. If your rental has a fire escape or a window air conditioning unit, check those too; both are common weak points that burglars specifically look for, since a window AC unit can sometimes be popped out from the outside if it isn’t secured properly. Don’t make it easy on anyone by leaving so much as one window cracked for “fresh air” while you’re gone for three months.
Hide All Valuables
Stash anything of real value out of sight: laptops, gaming consoles, monitors, stereos, anything with resale value on the street. Don’t leave cash or jewelry sitting out in the open, even in a drawer that looks obvious. It’s also smart to close all the curtains, since a lot of break-ins start with somebody casually scouting from the sidewalk to see if a crowbar is worth their time. If you can, store your most valuable stuff at a friend’s place, your landlord’s storage area, or even just packed deep in a closet rather than left in plain view of a window.
Leave a Bathroom Light On
Turn on the bathroom light and leave it running. It might be enough to make a sneaking thief think twice, assuming somebody’s home and using the john. If you want to go a step further, a cheap plug-in timer (the kind sold at any hardware store for under $15) can rotate a lamp or two on and off throughout the evening, which does a much more convincing job of mimicking someone actually living there than one light left on for three straight months.
Hold All Your Mail
Have the Post Office put a hold on all your mail so it isn’t obvious nobody’s home. You’d be surprised how much mail piles up over a summer, even after the important stuff gets rerouted to your parents. A stuffed, overflowing mailbox is basically a billboard advertising an empty house.
Don’t Advertise That You’re Gone
This one’s easy to overlook, but it matters more than people think. Skip the “leaving Athens for the summer, see you in August!!” post with your location tagged. Social media is exactly where a lot of casual scouting happens now, not necessarily by strangers, but by anyone paying attention who now knows your address is sitting empty. Keep travel and move-out details vague until you’re actually back.
Ask Someone to Check In
If you know anyone sticking around Athens for the summer, a roommate doing an internship, a friend in a summer class, even a neighbor, ask them to swing by every so often. Someone occasionally parking in the driveway, grabbing the mail, or just walking through the house makes a real difference. It also means if anything does go wrong- a leak, a break-in, storm damage- someone catches it in week one instead of in August.
Unplug What You Don’t Need
Beyond the security angle, unplugging non-essential electronics before you leave cuts down on both your summer electric bill and the (small but real) risk of an electrical short causing a fire while the house sits empty for months. TVs, gaming systems, chargers, coffee makers, anything that isn’t your fridge or your WiFi router can come unplugged.
Consider Renters Insurance
If you don’t already have it, renters insurance is worth looking into before you leave for the summer, not after something happens. It’s typically cheap, often under $15-20 a month, and covers your stuff if the worst-case scenario actually does play out. It’s a small cost for real peace of mind while your laptop and everything else you own is sitting in an empty house 200 miles from where you’ll actually be.
At the end of the day, most break-ins aren’t sophisticated; they’re opportunistic. A locked window, a light on a timer, a friend checking in occasionally, and a little discretion about broadcasting your empty house online will put your rental miles ahead of the place next door that skipped all of it. Have a good summer; just make sure your apartment’s as ready for the break as you are.