If you're about to go on holiday or not, now is a good time to check your home security. Below we have listed a few handy tips to help.
Keep it locked
Even if you’re at home, perhaps just out the back enjoying lunch, keep your front door locked. Thieves often walk straight into homes. It doesn’t take a thief long to find valuables like handbags, wallets, phones and keys. They can be in and out in seconds.
Keep your car locked, especially if you have a garage door opener stored in your glove box. If someone steals the door opener, they can come back at any time to take what they want, straight out the garage door!
Secure your sliding doors and windows with a piece of dowel or metal placed in the track, so they can’t be pried open.
Don't provide cover
During spring and summer, gardens and trees really bloom. Make sure your garden isn’t hiding your front door from the street. You don’t want to provide a burglar with a private walkway to your door, or a dark place to lurk. So head outside and cut down any new growth that may be blocking vision of your front door. This is also a good time to look into installing sensor lights if you don’t already have them.
Secure all buildings
Burglars often find the tools they need to break into your house in the garage or tool sheds. Make sure these places are secure with keyed locks, and sensor lights if possible.
Don’t advertise you’re not there
Ask friends, family or neighbours to collect your mail, mow your lawn and park their car in your driveway occasionally. Internal lights and a radio set on timers are also a good idea. Don’t advertise your holiday on social media with status updates about your holiday locations and dates.
Don’t hide your front door key around the house
This is an easy one. Thieves can spot all the possible front door key hiding places around your house easily and quickly. So don’t take the risk, don’t leave one out for them to collect!
Store valuables in a safe
Money and jewellery are usually targeted in break ins. Invest is a small safe to store small valuables and cash.
Don’t advertise your latest purchases
Before putting packaging from expensive purchases in the bin, try and break it into small pieces. You don’t want a thief to easily spot a large tv box sticking out of your recycling bin.
Install an alarm and dog sign
Alarm systems are a great defence, as well as a barking dog. Putting a beware of the dog sign on your front door or fence can also deter robbers, whether you have a dog or not.
