A home is robbed every 14.6 seconds and the average dollar loss per burglary is $2,119, according to statistics released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This statistic doesn’t help anyone’s homeowner insurance rates.
Sure you lock your doors and windows when you’re not home (you’d be surprised how many people don’t). But here are ten things you’re probably doing that make your home a target, and what you should do instead:
- Leaving your garage door open or unlocked. Once inside the garage, a burglar can use any tools you haven’t locked away to break into your home, out of sight of the neighbors. Interior doors between the garage and your home often aren’t as strong as exterior doors and may not have deadbolt locks.
Instead: Always close and lock the garage door. Consider getting a garage-door opener with random codes that automatically reset.
. - Storing ladders outdoors or in unlocked sheds. Burglars can use them to reach the roof and unprotected upper floor windows.
Instead: Keep ladders under lock and key.
. - Hiding spare keys. Burglars know about fake rocks and leprechaun statues and will check under doormats, in mailboxes, and over doorways.
Instead: Give a spare set to a neighbor or family member.
. - Letting landscaping get overgrown. Tall hedges and shrubs near the house create hiding spots for burglars who may even use overhanging branches to climb onto your roof.
Instead: Trim any bushes and trees around your home.
. - Keeping your house in the dark. Like overgrown landscaping, poor exterior lighting creates shadows in which burglars can work unobserved.
Instead: Replace burned out bulbs promptly, add lighting where needed, and consider putting fixtures on motion sensors or light sensors so that they go on automatically.
. - Relying on silent alarm systems. Everyone hates noisy alarms, especially burglars. Smart thieves know that it can take as long as 10 to 20 minutes for the alarm company or cops to show up after an alarm has been tripped.
Instead: Have both silent and audible alarms.
. - Not securing sliding doors. These often make tempting and easy targets for burglars.
Instead: When you’re out, put a dowel down in the channel, so the door can’t be opened wide enough for a person to get through.
. - Relying on your dog to scare away burglars. While barking my deter amateurs, serious burglars know that dogs may back away from someone wielding a weapon, or get chummy if offered a treat laced with a tranquilizer.
Instead: Make your home look occupied by using timers to turn lights, radios, and TVs on and off in random patterns.
. - Leaving “goody” boxes by the curb. Nothing screams “I just got a brand new flat-screen, stereo, or other big-ticket item” louder than boxes by the curb with your garbage cans.
Instead: Break down big boxes into small pieces and bundle them together so you can’t tell what was inside.
. - Posting vacation photos or where you are on Facebook. Burglars troll social media sites looking for targets.
Instead: Wait until you get back before sharing vacation details or make sure your security settings only allow trusted “friends” to see what you’re up to.
Have any other burglary prevention tips you can share? We’d love to hear them. Just use the comment link below to add your tips.
Now that summer is just around the corner, we all need to start thinking about securing our home, especially when on vacation. Here are a few basic tips for helping you keep your home secure.
Always Lock Doors and Windows
It sounds simple, but it’s very easy to leave doors and windows unlocked, especially if you are just slipping out to the shop for a few minutes. Unfortionately, this provides a classic opportunity for thieves.
Most burglaries are a result of a door or window being left open or unlocked. If your property doesn’t feature good locks, you can purchase high quality locks from any do-it-yourself store near you. Not only will this make your home more secure, it will also act as a strong deterrent as high quality locks send out strong signals that you are taking your home security seriously.
Don’t Leave Keys In View
Make sure you do your best to keep your keys out of sight, especially from unwanted individuals. If you have a key rack positioned near your front door, try moving it out the way. Some burglars gain entry by ‘fishing’ your keys off the rack. You also need to make sure you don’t have any keys left outside in hidden locations. Some people like to leave a spare key outside. Not only is this convenient for you, it’s also very convenient for anyone who wants to get into your home.
Think of Some Deterrents
There are ways to give the impression to potential intruders you’re still at home when you’re away overnight such as using timers for lights and radios. Also security lighting and visible burglar alarms are likely to put off any thieves as there will be more chance of them getting caught. It’s important if you do have security lighting, that it is placed in appropriate areas such as doorways and access points to the house.
Also, having a dog can be a good deterrent for burglars, especially if your pet does not welcome visitors. Potential burglars will not proceed to try and get into the house if they feel any attention will be drawn to them. In addition, you should close your curtains at night so burglars cannot see any valuable goods.
Most insurance companies will offer you additional things you can do to lower your risk of a burglary. After all, they want your home to be as secure as possible… they insure it.
Some Final Tips
To make you feel safer, if you have a solid door, you could get a ‘spy hole’ installed in your door, similar to what hotel rooms have, so you can see who is approaching the front of your house. Also, you could get a chain fitted to your lock so even if the intruder was able to get the door open, the chain would prevent them from forcing their way through. Furthermore, remove any garden tools or equipment lying around that could be used by burglars to break into your home, and check your home’s surroundings for anything that may help conceal a burglar.
It may sound far-fetched but shrubbery or bushes you have around your house are helpful for intruders to hide, so perhaps consider changing your home’s garden exterior to prevent this from happening. Also, reach out to the community and discover if you have any neighbourhood watch schemes or start one up yourself.
With summer vacations coming up, start thinking and planning now, and decide ahead of time if you need to make any adjustments to your home to make it more secure, especially while you’re away.