Every homeowner needs to take active steps to maintain home security. Regretfully, home invasions are common. Read on to learn some useful advice to keep your family and home safe from nearly any threat.
Make sure your home appears occupied. Put timers on the TV, lights and radios. This will give your home the appearance of someone being there. This will help safeguard your house to the best of your ability.
Locks Changed
Any time you buy a new home, have the locks changed. The person who previously owned the home may have made copies of keys. Have a locksmith install a brand new lock. You should also have your locks changed if you lose your keys.
If you need to leave a key for a maid service, make sure that that whoever cleans your house is professional and trustworthy. Only select service people who are totally trustworthy. All references should be checked. If your cleaning person comes from a company, check with the BBB.
If there are people you don’t know that have access to your social media sites, then you don’t want to let all of them know you’re on vacation. While it is exciting to go to a new place and have a good time, you are letting thieves know that your house will be empty and they can come right in.
Don’t let any person you don’t completely know into your house. Even if their story is compelling, they need assistance or want to sell you something. Some will come to your door just to determine how secure it is, and they may return later if they think they can easily enter your home.
Don’t open up your door for someone who is a stranger. Burglars are getting creative, and they will do anything they can to gain access to your home. Only open the door for people you are expecting.
During the summer, remove all vegetation and dead wood from your yard. These can quickly become fire hazards when hit by direct sunlight, placing your house at risk. Therefore, you need to regularly clean your yard so that your home is protected.
Consult with your police department to find out about good programs for home protection. Many programs include how to use some engraving tools to create code numbers for identifying valuables that are stolen, home inspection, and advice on protective measures. Talk with local police to see if they offer these programs.
Make your home safer by storing your car inside the garage. Keep the car within the garage will make sure no one harms or steals it. Keeping your car out of sight is also good for thwarting burglars’ attempts to determine when you are likely to be away from home.
When dealing with companies that install home security systems, it’s important to trust your gut. If the installers give you the heebie-jeebies, it’s not a good sign. You don’t want to refrain from choosing a different company or technician. You want the system to make you feel like you’re more comfortable.
If you’ve bought large or pricy items, avoid throwing out boxes until the day the trash is scheduled for pick-up. Having these boxes around for a while will give people an idea of what is inside your house.
Keep flashlights in your rooms. This is important for you to be able to see should your power go out or you suffer an emergency. Teach your children how to use the flashlights so that everyone in your household can help.
Having a bright and lit-up home at night deters crooks. Thieves don’t want to be visible. When your home is lit well, the crooks have nowhere to hide, making it difficult for them to steal from you undetected. Have lights that come on when they detect movement for best results.
Always keep your home’s exterior well lit. Thieves prefer to work in darkness. Install lighting anywhere a possible intruder might break in. This will include doorways, porches, your garage, and ground floor windows that criminals can use.
Keeping a dog provides a great way to boost your home’s defense. Dogs are protective of turf and generally make noise when something is wrong. There is no need for a guard dog. As long as he is noisy when strangers approach, he’s a great addition to the security of your home.
If you have roommates or kids who you do not want in certain areas of the house, you do not have to lock the doors and carry around a ton of keys. You can instead get key-less locks that work using a code. Any good security company can provide and install these locks, or you can even put them in yourself.
Because of all the threats to a home, every homeowner should take steps in protecting it as much as possible. You’ve just been giving some great home security tips. The first step towards safety is making use of them.
