Warm Weather is Here! Don’t Forget About Home Security
As warmer weather approaches, keep in mind that thieves and burglars don’t take time off and they don’t care about your home security. For example, if you and your family leave for a quick trip to the beach, make sure to lock up all the doors and windows before you leave. While you may think that your property is safe in broad daylight because you live in a nice neighbourhood, consider that burglars also know when it’s holiday season… and when warm weather arrives, that’s when they’re on the prowl looking for vulnerable homes.
Think Like a Burglar
If you start by simply walking around your property and thinking, “how would I break in?”, you could immediately begin to increase the security of your home. In most cases, after doing this, you will see obvious paths of entry. Is there a certain section of the home that is poorly lit at night? What about the place you keep your spare key? Is it too obvious? Do your doors have the proper deadbolts? It’s these type of basic things that can save your family from devastation.
- Secure your windows. If you can prove to your insurer that your windows are secure, you may be able to get a more affordable insurance quote. But to ensure your home is safe, you must remember to lock your windows whenever you leave the house.
- Hide valuables. Make sure you store valuables, such as jewellery, tablets and other gadgets out of sight as they can attract opportunistic thieves – and burglars aren’t known for resisting temptation. You might also want to consider investing in a safe; an MLA-approved locksmith can supply and install one to meet your needs.
- Hide your house and car keys when at home. Many burglars will break into homes in order to get hold of your car keys and steal your car. Keep your house and car keys away from your front door to avoid ‘letterbox fishing’, a tactic where burglars use a fishing rod or long magnetic implement to grab keys through a home’s letterbox.
- Secure your windows at night. It might be tempting in the warmer months, but you should avoid leaving your windows open at night as this provides an easy entrance point for burglars. You should also check the condition of your windows frequently, as rusty locks and rotten frames can make access even easier.
Equip Your Home With a Professionally Installed Security System
Most burglars try to determine if a home has a security system before breaking in. And research shows that burglars will deliberately avoid homes if they know it has a security system, and would immediately flee if those systems sound an audible alarm. This highlights the importance of having a security system in your home.
Also, according to the research conducted in 2020, the average GBP loss per burglary in the UK is £3,030! That amount – in most cases – exceeds the typical cost of a security system, not to mention the stress that comes along with experiencing a burglary.
Teach Your Kids About The Importance of Home Security
During the summertime, your kids will be home a lot more frequently, which means they need to know how to operate the security system, lock up the doors and present the house in the proper fashion. If you and your spouse both work, your kids need to be well informed about home security.
Also, make sure they realise that presenting a dirty or unkempt appearance to a burglar can invite them in. For example, if there are always bikes and toys left out in the front or back gardens, a burglar will likely assume that the rest of the house is also unorganised and, therefore, easy to break into.
Don’t Forget About The Garage
Garages often get overlooked when it comes to home security, but burglars love to access homes through the garage due to the ease of access. If you tend to keep a car parked in the driveway with a garage door opener inside, you may want to rethink that strategy. A burglar could easily break the window to that car and gain access to your home by opening the garage.
Also, since garages are typically isolated from the rest of the house, breaking in there may seem less risky to a burglar. By doing this the thief could go unnoticed and, at the very least, case the house for another attack at a different time.
Your local Portsmouth locksmith offers a full security survey service. Do you know if your home or property is secure? Lock-On Security can check that your home is secure, that your locks are covered by your insurance and also give advice to ensure your property isn’t an attractive target to potential thieves. Call Lock-On Security on 07952 302102 for a free home security survey.
