1: Always appear to be at home. Giving the illusion that someone is home is a good burglar deterrent when on holiday or out for dinner with friends. This can be easily done by keeping a few lights on, installing light timers to go on when needed, or keeping a radio on in the house.
2: Blend in with the crowd. Does your home stand out like a sore thumb? Criminals asses anything from expensive landscaped gardens to outer accessories, to assess the valuables you have in your home. Ensuring your home doesn’t look flashier than your neighbors will help prevent would-be burglars from seeing your property as the most lucrative potential target on your block.
3: Improve home safety by keeping it bright. Motion sensor lighting around your home is the best way to surround your property with alert lighting, and is relatively inexpensive. The brighter the lights around your property are and the more you have, will mean the harder it will be for thieves to find a sneaky (dark spots) way onto your property.
4: Know your neighborhood. Do you know your neighbors and your neighbourhood? Criminals more often than not watch a property before they decide where and when to break in, checking when you and your family come and go. Knowing your neighbourhood and people living around you will help you spot suspicious onlookers.
5: Do some pruning. Large shrubs and tall bushy trees give criminals dark, concealing places to hide without being seen from passersby, neighbours, and yourself. Keeping these pruned and trimmed or adding more motion lighting is not only a deterrent, but offers more security against surprise attacks when coming home.
6: Close those windows. Open windows, even with burglar bars and secure fencing, are an easy in. Getting into the habit of making sure all your windows are securely locked will dramatically improve home security. Alternatively, if you have to leave a window open for a pet, or want extra security when you are at home, installing a Locklatch lets you enjoy the benefits of having an open window or door without losing the security of a locked door/window.
7: Pick your doors. One of the biggest home security mistakes is choosing or having glass doors that allow criminals to reach the door handle easily after breaking the glass. To avoid such easy access, choose your doors carefully or when renting, make sure you have security gates installed for extra security.
8: Switch it up. Alarms are a necessary and effective home security measure, but when last did you change the password? Changing alarm codes regularly will ensure that even if you had previously given the code to a service provider or someone suspicious gets hold of the code, they will not be able to let it slip to someone or use it to gain access.
9: Change the locks. When was the last time you replaced your keys? This is particularly important when you are a new tenant or homeowner because you have no way of knowing who still has a copy of a key from before you moved in. Changing the locks and getting new sets of keys will give you extra peace of mind.
10: Put on your criminal hat. Look at your neighbourhood, your street, and your home through the eyes of a burglar. What would they see if they looked around your street? New expensive garden furniture, an unlocked window, a brand new 44 inch flat screen in the living room, or the ideal shrubs to hide behind?