You may think that securing your home involves major installations and expensive specialists. But there are simple things that you can do on your own. Read the following article for some great tips on how to properly secure your home.
When you buy a new house, change the locks. You don’t know who might have a key. Call a locksmith to make sure you’re the only one with access to your home. Also, you can contact a locksmith if you ever misplace your keys.
Before agreeing to work with a security company, check with your friends and family for recommendations. You can benefit from the experience of others that have gone before you by paying attention to their recommendations and warnings. Spending a few days asking for reviews is useful in helping you choose correctly.
If you will be vacationing for an extended period of time, turn off the ringer on all the phones in your house. If a burglar keeps hearing your phone ring, they’ll know the home is not occupied, making it more likely for a break-in to occur.
Police Department
Consult with your police department to find out about good programs for home protection. These programs may include engraving identification codes on your valuables, home inspections, and advice about home security. Contact your local police department to find out if they offer this type of program.
Regardless of the quality of your home security system, you need to check it annually. This should be performed by a technician from your security company. A number of factors can cause problems with your security system, including wild animals and mother nature. If you don’t see the problem, you may remain unaware of it.
Install lights that have motion sensors. These lights will turn on if anyone walks too closely to your home. You will receive advance warning of any potential issues, and a would-be intruder will probably be scared off. Replace bulbs regularly and check the sensors once a month.
Before doing anything else, install new locks in your home. It might be that you have an angry ex-roommate or a bitter ex-partner, so changed locks will boost your security. It is pretty cheap and the job won’t take more than a few hours.
If you’re in a rural place, you might not be as worried about break-ins as those that are in the city. Some think residents of the country are even more vulnerable because there are no close neighbors. Still there are those that think that burglars are not as likely to target rural areas.
When securing your home, don’t forget about skylights. As nice as they look, they’re a prime target for thieves. Make sure your skylights have reliable, heavy duty hardware in place.
Walls can be a great hiding spot. Hide valuables inside of your walls. Just access unused switch plates, outlets or phone jacks. A security store will sell fake plates you can install anywhere.
Always lock your house, even if you are only going to be away for a few minutes. It may be shocking, but many home invasions and burglaries occur by intruders walking through the front door that was left open. A thief could steal all your valuables in only a few minutes.
If you bought any expensive or large items, don’t throw the boxes out until the day trash is scheduled to be removed. Letting such packaging sit out will signal to criminals that there are good things to be found in your house.
If you want to make your house even more secure, a cheap way to do that is to buy outside lights with motion detectors. They lights will light up your property at night and they are cost-effective and efficient. When placed appropriately, no one will be able to break in unannounced.
It is a good idea to invest in video surveillance for your home security system. Having visible or hidden cameras can help immensely. Most intruders are discouraged by visible cameras. But, if they attempt to disable the camera, you will still be able to see them if you have a hidden camera. Many surveillance systems can even be accessed via cell phone, allowing you to check up on your home when you are away.
Home security systems aren’t the only way to ensure your family is safe. Other options include purchasing a gun, installing a fence or extra locks on your doors. Do not forget this advice in order to increase security in your home.
