With the ever soaring crime rates, home security has become a vital issue for all homeowners today. A secure home ensures the safety of lives of your family members as well as your property. Even if you are living in a supposedly safe neighborhood, neglecting the security of your property is the biggest blunder you might commit, as thefts, burglary and other crimes are becoming common these days. Some simple measures for making your home a safer and better place, can go a long way in improving the quality of life for you and your family.
Here are six best home security advice and tips:
#1. Double Check all Doors and Windows
Before you leave your home or even go to bed every night, make sure that you double check all the doors and windows of your home. Do not miss out on back door, garage door and basement windows, as they might seem as easy targets for burglars. Get periodic checks for the locks at all these locations by professional locksmiths . Have the locks repaired or replaced wherever needed in the house.
#2. Keep your Keys Safe
The common practice is to hide the main door keys in a flower pot or under the doormat, but even thieves know these places and can enter your home by finding the keys while you are away. Instead, leave your keys with a trusted friend or neighbor, who can drop in and check the place periodically while you are away. Also, you can have a coded door lock installed which opens with a pin code.
#3. Install a Lighting System
Another useful tip for home security is to have an automated lighting system installed in it, which turns on the lights automatically when it gets dark. These lights will give an impression that someone is at home and thieves will stay away from your home.
#4. Have Mails and Deliveries cancelled while you are away
While you are away, make sure that your mails and newspapers, etc not accumulate at your front door as it will reveal that the homeowners are away and will invite the burglars to come over. Instead, inform the newspaper vendor and post office in advance not to drop your stuff till further intimidated.
#5. Install a Burglar Alarm and Safe
A wise home security measure is to get an advanced alarm system as well as a safe for your valuables, in your home. These measures will not only make your home safer, but also help you nab the culprits who try to force entry in your home later.
Check this: Affordable Ways to Burglar-Proof Your Home
#6. Never have Expensive Items placed at Prominent Places
Make sure that valuables like jewelry, cell phones, laptops etc are not placed at prominent places, from where they are visible from outside the house as these literally tempt thieves and burglars. Keep the windows covered with blinds and curtains so that no one can peep inside and invade your privacy.
In addition to these home security tips, it is essential to have an old fashioned peep hole at your entry door so that no unauthorized person is let in without checking at the door. Have the shrubs around your house trimmed regularly as they serve as hiding spaces to thieves. Learn to be cautious and teach the same to your family members, particularly children.