Experts offer tips to keep property safe.

People who break into cottages over the winter are looking to take advantage
of opportunities – and the fewer opportunities a property presents, the better the chances a thief will bypass that property.
– Scott Wooters,
Undersheriff of
Leelanau County

For cottage owners and snowbirds preparing to head south for the winter, fall is the time to ensure that seasonal vacation homes stay safe and secure until next spring or summer.

For some seasonal property owners, that sometimes means asking neighbors who stay in Leelanau County on a year-round basis to keep an eye on things.

In some cases, property owners can have an electronic security systems installed. In other cases, they can also hire a “cottage patrol” service, sometimes provided by those who also offer private snowplowing service in their neighborhood through the winter.

The point of arranging for someone to pay attention to a seasonal residence through the winter is not only to keep driveways clear and water pipes from freezing – but also to keep out thieves.

“There are a few common sense things that people can do to avoid being burglarized when they’re gone that don’t cost any money at all,” said Leelanau County undersheriff Scott Wooters. “People who break into cottages over the winter are looking to take advantage of opportunities – and the fewer opportunities a property presents, the better the chances a thief will bypass that property.”

Of course, ensuring that all windows and doors are securely locked is a good first step.

“More importantly, just don’t leave any valuables around,” Wooters said. “Some of the cottages in Leelanau County are vacant for long periods and are secluded – and that works in favor of thieves. If you don’t want something stolen from your cottage, don’t leave it there,” Wooters said.

“People looking out for each other is also very effective,” Wooters added. “Talk to your neighbors about when you’re leaving and how long you’ll be gone. Your neighbors probably know who belongs in a neighborhood and who doesn’t.”

Snowbirds can also inform the Sheriff’s Department that they’ll be gone, and deputies can do periodic checks, Wooters said.

“We’d be happy to have a deputy drive by periodically,” Wooters said. “And if we see no tracks in the snow, that means there’s been no activity.”

Wooters said that hiring a security service or having alarms installed is “not an inexpensive option,” and may be more practical for some cottages than others depending on the value of the property.

Todd McDonough of Cedar has been in the business of installing security systems on homes throughout Leelanau County for the past 7-plus years for ADT Security.

“A lot of second home owners and cottage owners just want motion detectors on a couple of doors, but some want and need more than that,” McDonough said. “We can monitor a wide variety of what we call ‘critical conditions’ in a home – and around here low-temperature is one of those most important conditions we monitor.”

Sensors placed in various locations can detect whether the temperatures have gone so low that water pipes may freeze.

“A lot of people leave the heat on low when they leave for the winter, but they don’t come back until spring and really need to ensure that the heat stays on,” McDonough said. “If they have a temperature sensor installed and the heat goes out, our office will be alerted so that we can then either call the homeowner, a contractor or a caretaker who can go and take care of the problem before the pipes freeze.”

McDonough said that one mistake second-home owners sometimes make is not turning off their water pump for the winter. If the pipes freeze and break, an active pump will just keep pumping water all winter – but if the pump is turned off, damage will be minimized.

“If there’s been a break-in, we can alert the Sheriff’s Department,” McDonough said. “But deputies won’t put a board over your door if someone has kicked it in,” he added, “so, if you’re going to be away for a while and can’t return every time something comes up, it’s a good idea to have somebody check on the place periodically, or hire some kind of caretaker.”

McDonough noted that his alarm company works closely with some of the companies that provide on-scene security guards as well as “cottage patrol” services.

One of those companies is Homecare Security of Glen Arbor, a division of Homecare Management.

Charlie Hicks of Glen Arbor heads the security division. Homecare Security specializes in providing security guards who, among other tasks, check on seasonal residences through the winter.

Hicks said he and his two employees routinely check on about 140 condominium units in The Homestead resort in Glen Arbor as well as another 30 or so seasonal residences in the Glen Lake and Sugar Loaf areas through the winter. They charge about $40 to $45 per month for their services for a “regular cottage” Hicks said.

“This is definitely the time of year that people are calling us and setting up service,” Hicks said. “Starting now through April, we’ll be providing winter security, and mostly that involves heat checks to make sure people’s pipes don’t freeze.”

If a burglar alarm goes off, Homecare Security is contacted along with the Leelanau County Sheriff’s Department.

“Sometimes we’ll meet the deputies on the scene, and we have the keys to let them in,” Hicks said.

Homecare Security employees do not carry weapons, and rely on sheriff’s deputies to clear properties where break-ins are suspected before entering.

“The biggest thing we had last year was a couple of kayaks being stolen from The Homestead,” Hicks said. “The most interesting one was a hawk that crashed into a window at a cottage on Glen Lake and died. We called the DNR on that one.”

The good news, Hicks said, is that break-ins are not common in Leelanau County, and most of the work he is called upon to do is fairly routine.

A Suttons Bay company, Home & Cottage Services, has begun offering similar — and more extensive — services. The new firm will even offer grocery shopping and plant care. It was begun by the owners of Seeco Construction.