Your home is somewhere that should feel safe, but unfortunately when you live in a bustling city area with lots of strangers around, you want to be certain that your family is safe at all times. So if you are not too sure on whether your home is definitely safe from intruders, then this guide will help you to ensure that your home is as protected as it can be.
Change The Locks When You Move In
As soon as you move into your home you should definitely change the locks and ensure that all family members have a set of keys. It is definitely a good idea to do this as you never know how many pairs of keys the previous owners had and who had a copy of them. At least this way you will know that only the people that live in your house have a set of door keys.
Ensure Your Children Don’t Write Down The Address On Their Keys
If you have teenagers they are likely to have a set of keys to the house. You will want to make sure that they don’t attach anything to their keys that will demonstrate where they live. It’s just best to make sure as they might not have thought about what happens if someone else was to pick up their keys.
Try Not To Share Your House Details Online
It can be tempting to share photos on social media with your family and friends of your new home, but in reality you never know who may stumble across your photo on the internet. Really you should avoid uploading any photos or selfies that demonstrate your door number or street as it can easily be found by doing a quick online search.
If you share for example that you are going away on vacation, it will be easy for a stranger to find out that the house will be empty for a while. You should also be mindful of the fact that people can also make copies of your keys if you post the full image of your house keys, so try to cover part of them up if you do upload a photo of them on social media.
Install a Brand New Front Door
Ideally you want to have a nice looking front door, that will also be sturdy and difficult to break into. Having a secure entry door will help in this situation when you want a functional door that also suits the style of your home. You can learn more about these entry doors, to see which one is suitable for your home.
Have Windows That You Can Only Open From The Inside
The style of your home may have an influence on the style of your windows that you have. Generally though you will want a style of window that will not be possible to open from the exterior, making it difficult for an intruder to try and gain entry this way.
Install a Security Alarm
A good way to try and deter an intruder is to have a security alarm fitted. This will then sound the alarm if someone were to try and gain access to your home when they shouldn’t. The constant loud ringing should be enough to put anyone off from remaining in the house.
Try Not To leave Your House Keys Near The Front Door
It is best if you have a different area in which you can place your keys once you are home, perhaps in the kitchen or living room. This is because it could be easy to try and hook your door keys from the letterbox if someone was to attempt to steal your keys from the exterior. So to avoid this happening try not to leave your house or car keys in the hallway by your front door.
Use a Strong Password On Your Internet
You might have a home security system that is accessed through your internet connection. To protect any prying eyes from gaining access to any sensitive or personal information it’s best to have a really strong password that nobody else could guess, so that you know information can’t be gathered in this manner.
Use a Video Surveillance System
They are becoming increasingly popular now as it allows you to see who is at your front door, even when you are not at home by linking it up to your smartphone. Using a video surveillance system will enable you to control who can gain access to your home and who really shouldn’t. It can also be useful as a means of recording surveillance footage should anyone attempt to steal or break in.
Put Deliveries on Hold When You Are Away
If you have a regular subscription or package that is likely to be delivered to your home each week then it is best to temporarily place this on hold whilst you are away on vacation. This will help to not let people know that the property is empty. If packages start to build up on your front door it could look very appealing to a passerby who is tempted to try and break in.
Use a Timer For Your Lights
Another good solution for when you are away on vacation is to have a timer for when your lights come on. This will make your home look occupied in the evening which will not make it obvious to strangers that your home is currently empty.
Avoid Leaving Anything Important In Your Car Overnight
If your car is parked in your driveway, you want to try and avoid leaving anything on display. This could be appealing to a passer by who is walking past your house and sees items in your car that look tempting to steal. This might then give the impression that there are more valuable items in your home to be taken as well. So best to be overly cautious and not leave anything important or valuable.
What do you think?