While no suburb or home is immune to theft, home owners can certainly precautions to ensure their home is a safe as possible. We look at some tips that can help secure your home against break-ins.
- Are you going away for a few days? Beware, burglars are always on the lookout for homes that seem to be unoccupied. Some tell-tale signs include it being perpetually dark and quiet inside. Either keep a light on, ask a trusted neighbour to keep watch, or get a house sitter in. Another handy tip is to ask a neighbour to park in your driveway every now and then.
- Hiding your keys in a clichéd place like under the doormat or under a brick really isn’t fooling anyone. Burglars will check these places first hoping for an easy entry, so give a key to a trusted neighbour or a friend that lives nearby instead, so you don’t keep them around your property.
- An overgrown or messy garden can make break ins easier. Keep your gardens well-trimmed and maintained. It’s also best to make it harder for burglars to hide in your garden and use your trees as climbing aids, by keeping them trimmed back and maintained.
- Ensure every entrance point is secure and can be locked. Burglars won’t just check the front door, they’ll check windows, the back and side doors as well.
- Consider installing security cameras if you live in a quiet neighbourhood, and make sure they’re easily visible. You can also set up a hidden camera to cover yourself in case the visible ones are vandalised.
- Motion sensor lighting is excellent at deterring potential thieves. If you’re inside, it gives you a warning, and will almost always deter a burglar straight away. Set up motion detectors and alarms at every potential entry point including windows and second floor windows.
- Burglars are no fans of dogs – they provide an added obstacle and/or threat that many burglars won’t want to be bothered with. If you don’t have a pet, a large dog bowl and a “Beware of the Dog” sign are good measures to take to scare someone off.
- If you have an alarm system, ensure it is not visible from the outside, as you don’t want anyone seeing that you forgot to switch it on, or that it’s otherwise deactivated.
- Did you recently buy a new flat screen TV? Do you remember what you did with the box it came in? If you left it sitting next to the recycling bin, you could be advertising to burglars the type of valuable things you have inside.
- If you constantly post updates and hold countdowns to your upcoming holidays on your social media accounts, you could be unintentionally inviting burglars around as soon as you leave. So, make sure your accounts are private!
- And last but not least, keep any tools and ladders stored securely away, to prevent crooks using them to break windows and to gain access inside your home.
While there is no way of making your home absolutely safe, there are certainly precautions you can take to protect yourself and your belongings against intruders. So, give our tips a go to help you secure your home and your peace of mind.