It is likely you know of someone who has been the victim of a burglary at some point. Home invasion crimes are happening more often, and you need to take steps to keep your home safe. Break-ins are always a possibility. Here are some ways to help you keep your home secure and safe.
Do you keep your dog outside when you aren’t home? Your pet might just be the perfect place to stash a spare key to your home. You can attach your key to your dog’s collar in order to keep the key hidden. Especially if your dog is not very friendly, this will help keep your key safe.
Keep your most precious belongings inside a safe. You would hate for your expensive jewelry, personal family belongings, etc. to be stolen in case a burglar breaks into your home. Keep your safe in a hard-to-get-to place, such as a basement closet or your attic.
Spare Key
If you want to have a spare key hidden outside of your home, hide it carefully. Common places to hide a spare key are above your door frame or underneath your doormat. Therefore, thieves are more likely to check these places out first. Rather, think about putting a key on your outside dog’s collar.
Don’t talk about your vacations on social media. If you do, burglars will know you’re not home and strike.
When having a company install your security system, you must trust your feelings. You are giving someone unlimited access to your home, so be sure the installer doesn’t give you a bad vibe. Ask for someone else to come out or switch companies. Ultimately, the whole point is for you to have peace of mind.
Don’t think you’re not at risk just because you don’t live in a big city. However, there is the belief that rural dwellers are more susceptible to break ins simply because there are no nearby neighbors. Not everyone believes this, though.
Do you have skylights? If so, you should keep them in mind when protecting your home. While they are there to let light in, if you do not care for it properly it could also let in a thief. Keep them secure with heavy duty hardware that closes them off to potential thieves.
Avoid leaving spare keys outside of your home. A key that is easily found is a convenience for a burglar, not just for you. Burglars are well aware of these hiding places. You should have a trusted neighbor keep a spare key.
Regardless of how long you think you’ll be gone, make sure to lock your doors. It may be a little surprising, but most burglaries and break-ins happen because the intruder just walks right through an open door. Thieves can steal thousands worth of your belongings very quickly.
You want an alarm system that protects more than your doors. Windows offer easy access to a potential thief. Be sure your alarm is secured to them all and that monitoring is in place for every point of entry. This is a way to make sure your family will be safe.
Door Frame
Replace any wood surrounding your door frame that is rotting. Rotted wood causes a serious weakness in your home’s security because it makes it easy to pry open doors. Replace the rotting door frame with a new one and keep your home much safer.
When allowing a representative from any security company to enter your home, look for someone in uniform and ask to see an identification. It is simple for a thief to pose as a representative of your home security company as a means of gaining access to your house. This could be quite dangerous. Be cautious to stay safe.
Burglaries happen in middle and lower class neighborhoods, too. If a home looks easy to break into, a thief will break into it. If you use the advice mentioned in this article, you can help protect both your home and your family.