1: Look Your Windows And Doors
The first and foremost step to ensuring your home is secure is to lock the doors and windows locked. Nationwide Insurance conducted a study that showed many burglars use the front door when breaking into a home, and roughly 25% of the survey’s respondents admitted to leaving their windows and doors unlocked. Such facts show how easy homeowners make it for burglars to enter their homes.
2: Meet The Neighbors
Get to know your neighbors. It is an effective way of establishing a safer and secure neighborhood. In a societal setting where people are friendly, if not friends, they will look out for each other. As such, you should take an interest in noting any suspicious person that is around your neighbor’s house as they also keep an eye on yours when you are away. You can do this by tending to each other’s properties, doing things like watering the plants, mowing the lawn, shoveling snow, and any other chore that will create the impression that the place is not empty. Furthermore, it is better to hand your neighbor your extra keys instead of stashing them under the flowerpot.
3: Identify Resources And Create A Plan
If you have kids, consider having some safe resources to find when they come home from school to an empty house. It would be best if you did this soon after moving into the new place. Ensure they have access to a phone and list the various phone numbers they should call during an emergency. It can be the contact details of another family member, trusted friend, or neighbor. Also, let the kids know what they should do during an emergency when alone in the house.
Moreover, it would help if you emphasized the need to check who is at the door before opening, establish rules about having a friend over when there is no adult present, and locking the doors and windows. You also can teach them how the alarm system works if you installed one. Having an emergency exit plan will also be wise should there ever be a break-in or fire.
4: Maintain Privacy
Using curtains or window blinds can help make your home less attractive to burglars because they cannot see what is inside; thus, they are unsure if breaking into your place will be worth the risk. While ensuring people cannot see inside your house keeps your valuable hidden, making it hard to tell what you own, it also is a measure that enhances your privacy.
5: Automating Your Lights
Most burglars prefer breaking into homes that look vacant instead of those that look lived in; the former has less risk of being caught. You can use automated lights to manage the lighting in your house, especially when you are not in at night or out of town. Speak to thelockboss.ie about a security system. The system will turn on the lights, and some of the advanced ones can even turn on the radio, TV, HVAC, and other appliances to help create the impression there is someone in the house.
Exterior light at strategic points around the home can eliminate dark spots where burglars may hide when scoping your property. Installing motion sensors can help manage the lights, keeping them from staying on all night and even provide an element of surprise to all that step onto your property.
6: Be Wary Of Strangers
It would be wise always to maintain some degree of caution when dealing with strangers. Try not to assume less regarding letting in service people or allowing contractors to work on your home while you are away. The best thing to do is hire service provides you have vetted and agreed on an appropriate schedule to be in your home. Let them know the areas that are out of bounds.
Better yet, do a comprehensive inspection and schedule all the necessary service appointments before moving into the new place. Also, limit giving tours of your new home to everyone that visits. Taking such measures ensures strangers cannot catch a glimpse of what you have, thus lowering the risk of break-ins.
7: Get Them A Dog
If your spouse or kids have been longing to own a dog, get them one. A dog is a loving companion that also gets very fierce and protective of its caregiver. With the dog in your home, you will have a burglar deterrent since these criminals prefer getting in and out quickly and quietly without being noticed. A dog will not allow such a thing to take place. It will alert you of anything unusual that happens inside and outside your house. A do that prefers barking, even if it is a small canine, can be an effective deterrent.