Whether you live on your own, or with friends or family, ensuring your home is a safe place to come back to each night is essential. Unfortunately, there are some out there that would like to gain access to your home, and to your possessions inside. The good news is there are plenty of ways you can make your home more secure. Just read on to find out what they are.
Use deterrence measures
Often, those that would burgle your home are looking for an easy mark. They want to be able to gain access quickly and quickly, grab what they want, and then be on their way while minimizing their chance of getting caught. What this means is any home that looks as if it would be a challenge, or as if it’s well protected will not be high on their priority list, and it may just be too much hassle.
This is good news for you, the householder as it means you can use techniques that suggest your home is well protected to deter burglaries. One of the most effective of these is to have a visible security system, as this always makes burglars think twice before breaking in. However, even if you haven’t got a security system displaying stickers in your window that make it look like you can help. The same goes for displaying beware of the dog stickers, as burglars are less likely to choose a home where they may run into an unfriendly canine.
Make it hard for anyone trying to gain entry
You can also ensure your home stays secure to make it hard for anyone to gain entry. Several tactics can help you do this including always storing ladders inside. Otherwise, you are providing a very easy route to your upper-floor windows, and burglars dressed as repairmen or contractors could access your home without arousing suspicion.
Another smart way of minimizing the chances that anyone could gain entry to your home is to make sure you don’t have any outside spaces in which it’s easy to hide. For example, dense shrubbery and bushes can provide the perfect lurking place for someone trying to scope out your home, or worse. However, if you remove the shrubbery, at least around the immediate area close to your house, you will eliminate this risk.
Replace your locks
While essential door locks are a point of vulnerability so you need to do all you can to minimize any risk. For example, it makes sense to have your locks replaced whenever you move into a property. Then any previous owners cannot gain entry when you are not there. Some people do not have this done when they first lease or buy a home because they are worried it will be a long and expensive job. However, by using a 24 hour locksmith you can ensure it’s done quickly with a minimum of hassle. The best ones even offer a reasonable price as well.
Another option is to use SMART locks in your home. These are locks that can be activated using your SMARTphone which means you can open or lock the door from anywhere in your home, as well as remotely.
The key benefit of the security of these types of SMART locks is that they allow you to grant access to your home on your terms. For instance, if your child comes home from school but has forgotten their key you won’t have to worry about the risk of leaving a spare under a plant pot. Similarly, if you have a contractor coming into your home to do some work, you can let them in and lock up behind them without having to take time off work, and without having to provide them with a spare key, which can easily be copied.
Let there be light
The effective use of light is also an excellent way of keeping your home safe. This is because burglars work best in the shadows, and by making sure your property is well lit you will make things more difficult for them.
With that in mind, making sure the outside, as well as the inside of your home, is well-lit is crucial. That means regularly changing the bulbs that light up your porch, front door, and deck both back and front. Also installing motion sensor flood lights will make it almost impossible for an intruder to get to your home without setting them off.
Make it look like someone is always home
Your home will also be a lot safer if a potential intruder believes that someone is always home. Again this is because intruders will be far less likely to break into an occupied home. After all, they are more likely to be identified and caught.
The good news is there is a range of techniques you can use to make it look as if someone is at home at all times. In particular using a timer switch for your indoor lights, TV, and radios can create movement and noise that means potential burglars are likely to pass you by. Timer switches come in two types now as well, analog which uses a wheel where you depress the keys to set what time the device should come on or go off, and digital which uses SMART tech that can be activated remotely.
Install CCTV
CCTV or closed circuit television as it’s also known has been used in the commercial security sector for years. However, because of the increase in the availability of the technology it uses, it is now a common feature in many residential homes as well.
The main benefit of using CCTV is that it can help put your mind at rest when you are not at your property. This is because you can use it to check that no one has broken in and all is well. Other security uses for CCTV include having it trained on a specific point of entry to deter those that would use it and can capture images of any that do.
Many people also like to use CCTV to check on their pets while they are away, and many others now use video doorbells to check who is calling on them, and whether they wish to answer the door in person or not.
Secure your windows
Windows are an essential part of any property as they ensure the entry of natural light. Unfortunately, they are also a vulnerability when it comes to security because they can be more easily breached than a wall.
The remedy to this is to make sure that your windows are as secure as possible. This means checking that your window locks work, or using window break alarms which will alert you if someone has smashed a window to gain entry to your home. Additionally, consider installing film for your windows to enhance security and privacy and offer benefits such as UV protection, energy efficiency, and glare reduction, making it a practical investment for your home’s safety and comfort.
Check your doors
In addition to securing your windows, it is also essential that you check your doors for security vulnerabilities. Things to look out for include: cheaply made doors which would be easy to breach. Instead, you will want to replace them with sturdy doors that are heavy enough to present a significant challenge to anyone looking to gain unauthorized entry.
If you are a fan of true crime you will also know that sliding glass doors on a latch are a major security risk in your home. This is because they are very easy to breach from the outside, without even breaking the glass, giving those looking for entry an easy, and most of all quiet in. Where possible remove sliding glass doors on a latch, or make sure you replace them with super secure versions.
Finally, when it comes to doors, it’s crucially important that you close and lock your garage door every night. This is because most homes in the US have internal doors that lead from the garage to the main house. Unfortunately, this means that if your garage door is open, someone can easily, and without being observed gain entry to your home.
Say bye-bye to your spare hidden key
Hidden spare keys might sound like a great idea, especially if you have forgetful members of your family. However, burglaries make it their business to know where people most commonly store their spare keys, which means if you have your under a rock, garden gnome, or under the mat, that is the first place they will look. With that in mind, you may wish to invest in a lockbox with a keypad, or give a copy to a friend or neighbor that lives close by.
Secure your garage door remote
In a similar vein to not hiding your spare key outside, it also makes a lot of sense to ensure your garage door remote is stored safely inside as well. Of course, the temptation will be to leave it in your car, or right by the front door so you don’t forget it in the morning. However, this will be the first place that someone with nefarious intentions will look. Instead, it’s best to keep them away from prying eyes in a drawer.
