If you’ve ever experienced a home burglary, you know that it can be unsettling. And not only because your valuables have been taken. On top of having your physical assets get stolen, you now know that someone has been inside your personal space. This feeling is violating and uncomfortable. So it goes without saying that home invasion should be prevented at all costs. Did you know that there are some simple things you can do to prevent burglary in your home? The following home safety tips will help make your house less of an appealing target to potential thieves.
1. Install Outside Lights
Generally speaking, there are two types of thieves. Ones who plot their actions and target certain houses, and impulsive thieves who attack randomly. Both types of thieves prefer to operate under the cover of darkness.
Outside lights will help you stave off both kinds of intruders. There are a couple of types of outside lights that you can choose from.
First, you can choose lights that only come on when you turn them on. This is helpful for when you are home. But if you want to deflect intruders even when you are not there, it may be best to choose one of the other options.
Automatic lights come on once it gets dark out. These are often solar-powered and can sense when darkness sets in. These lights ensure that your house is always lit up at night.
The third option is motion sensor lights. Motion sensors detect movement and turn on automatically. These lights will freeze an intruder in their tracks.
It is recommended to install one of these lights in your driveway, one on your porch, and one in your backyard. This strategy will ensure that your home does not have any vulnerable angles.
Another good idea is to install lights along pathways in your yard. This way, you maximize visibility in your outside spaces and make it more difficult for intruders to slink around.
2. Double Down on Locks
One of the best and simplest things you can do to protect your home is to lock it. This means keeping all doors and windows locked. It is often easy to forget to lock windows, but burglars will view these as easy entrances into your home.
Make sure that you choose the right kind of locks to go on your doors. A lot of people opt for chain locks.
While chain locks are good to have, they should never be your only line of defense. Determined burglars can easily force their way through these.
Instead, install deadbolts on your main entrances. If you have sliding doors with weak locks, ask your locksmith to also reinforce these entrances.
If you’ve had trouble with home break-ins before, you may have locks that have been damaged or broken by clever thieves. Ask your locksmith for help repairing those locks. Broken locks can be targeted again.
3. Install an Alarm System
One of the best things you can do to prevent theft is to install an alarm system. But if you have ever researched security systems, you know there are a lot of different options you can choose from.
Some security systems are motion sensors that you can set whenever you leave your home. You will be notified if the alarm goes off, and you will be able to call the authorities.
Other security systems are armed with cameras. That way, if your alarm goes off you can access footage of whoever may be in your home. Cell phone apps make this process easy to manage from anywhere.
These systems are very helpful if someone does try to break into your home because the loud noise of the alarm will cause them to leave in a hurry. But did you know that alarm systems can also serve as burglary prevention?
When you install an alarm system, use alarm company decals on your windows and front door. Many alarm companies also made small signs you can display in your yard. These indicators of an alarm system will scare potential thieves away.
But here’s an easy security hack: you can use these security system decals and signs even if you don’t install an actual system. Obviously, you will not get the alert benefits of an actual security system. But you will create the appearance of having a security system, and it will likely scare off burglars.
This is a great strategy if you would like an alarm system but cannot afford it. Just make sure the decals or signs that you use appear authentic.
4. Install a Peephole
One way you can increase your home security is by giving yourself visibility to the outdoors. If you don’t have a peephole in your front door, it’s a good idea to install one. This is true even if you have windows near your front door.
This is because to look out a window, you reveal yourself to whoever is at the door. The nice thing about a peephole is you can see who is on your front porch without them seeing you.
Installing a peephole is a good idea if you have children who may need to be home alone. They can monitor visitors without needing to open the door.
These days, you can also install high tech doorbells that can act as cameras. Sometimes, burglars will ring your doorbell first just to see if you’re home. With a camera, you can see whoever rings your doorbell without them seeing you.
5. Secure Your Garage Door
Sometimes garage doors serve as entry points into your home for burglars. They are often easier to open and are targeted by thieves.
So if you have a traditional garage, it is a good idea to install a secure garage door with effective locks. For the same reason, experts recommend not leaving a garage door opener in your car. If someone were able to break into your car when it’s outside of the garage, they could then enter your home.
It is also a good idea to update old garage doors. Outdated garage doors not only may be targeted by thieves, but they pose some other safety risks as well.
6. Join the Neighborhood Watch Association
Many residential areas have Neighborhood Watch Associations or Homeowner’s Associations. These groups do a lot of different things, and one of these things is to keep an eye out for crime in the neighborhood.
Let’s face it, you can’t be home all the time. And when you do leave the house, it’s nice to know that someone else is looking out for your property.
Of course, this is a reciprocal situation. You also should feel responsible for keeping an eye on your neighbors’ homes and reporting back to them.
Even if you are not a part of an official Neighborhood Watch Association, it is a good idea to get to know your neighbors. You can effectively achieve the same results as an official group. Communicate with your neighbors and watch out for their assets and they will do the same for you.
This is an especially useful tip around the holidays. It’s the season when many people order packages and have them delivered to their homes. A lot of prowlers look for unattended packages on peoples’ porches.
By keeping an eye on other peoples’ doorsteps, you help ensure that they will also be watching yours.
7. Think About Blinds
Some homes have excellent levels of privacy. But that isn’t a reality for many folks.
If you have big front windows, it’s likely that you get excellent natural light during the day. But at night, when your lights are on, anyone passing by gets a clear view into your home.
Why is this a problem? In short, it gives any potential burglars a front-row view into your home. They can case out your assets and determine if there’s anything they want to take from you.
That’s why one of the best preventative measures you can take is installing blinds or curtains into your home for the night time. You can still let in glorious natural light during the day, and then shut them at night to shield your home from invasive eyes. As a bonus, you get added privacy when you’re home.
8. Create the Appearance of Being Home
As we said before, you simply cannot be home at all times. But no one has to know that. If a burglar thinks someone is home, they are less likely to try and enter. Here are some tips for creating the appearance of being home:
- Install outdoor lights
- Park a car in the driveway if you have two
- Leave the radio or television on inside your house
- Leave lights on inside
Any or all of those things are simple, low-cost ways to create the appearance of someone being home. For thieves looking for an easy opportunity, these things will signify that your house is not a good target.
9. Use Secure WiFi
Many people don’t realize this, but some thieves will break into your home using wifi. These are more advanced, high tech thieves, but these instances still occur.
If they can access your WiFi, the chance goes up that they can access your alarm or security system if you have one. If they can turn it off, they will enter your home without alerting you.
But fortunately, there are plenty of ways to guard against this possible avenue for home invasion.
Make sure your home has a secure WiFi network. Arm your service with a password that is not easy to guess or hack. Additionally, you should change these passwords often.
Consult your alarm system company if you have concerns about this possible gateway into your home.
10. Install a Burglar Decoy
When burglars break into your home, they are all looking for the same things: valuables. These valuables can include cash or jewelry or electronics. But it can also mean that thieves will grab things that only appear valuable like purses or wallets.
So why not leave something for a burglar to find that will distract them from the things you don’t want them to take?
Leave a purse out with some petty cash. Or a jewelry box on top of a desk filled with costume jewelry. You can even leave out old cell phones or electronics that don’t work anymore.
You don’t have to leave these things out and about. Thieves like to look in desk and dresser drawers. That way, these things provide an effective decoy without cluttering up your home.
You have to trust that burglars don’t linger. They want to get in and get out.
Therefore, they aren’t going to take time and inspect their finds. They won’t realize they only have costume jewelry or a dead cell phone until they have already left your house. Meanwhile, your valuables will be safe at home.
Stay Safe With Home Safety Tips
No one likes the idea of being burgled. But the truth is that it happens more than we would like to admit. So the best thing you can do is take the necessary steps to prevent burglary and stop thieves in their tracks.
And fortunately, most of these steps are simple and economically accessible. With these home safety tips, you can rest assured that your house and your peace of mind are protected.
Want to keep reading about how to best guard your assets? Check out our blog to learn more.