Home burglaries and home invasions are, unfortunately, a likely occurrence for homeowners to experience. The Department of Justice conducts studies of home break-ins and in 2017 reported 1.7 million home break-ins. It is believed that in the next 20 years 75% of homes will be broken into.
There are ways that you can prevent the chance of break-ins for your own home, though! Check out this list of 5 ways to make your house more secure and deter break-ins.
5 Ways to Make Your Home More Secure
Remove the Hidden House Key
Do you have a house key hidden outside in case you lose or forget yours? My guess would be you do and it’s probably not as hidden as you think. People breaking into your home most likely have a lot of experience doing it, which means they are familiar with all the different potential hiding spots for a key.
Instead of hiding a key outside your house, give the key to a trusted neighbor. This will make sure burglars don’t have easy access to your house.
Light Up The Outdoors
Having lights on outside the house is another good way to deter burglars. Outdoor lighting not only indicates that
somebody is home, but also makes it really hard for a burglar to sneak closer to your home unseen. Installing motion detectors on outdoor lights can also help with this.
Motion detectors will allow you to leave the house or go to sleep while still feeling safe from break-ins. Put a light near every entrance and whenever someone walks by it will trip the detector. This will make it seem like you know the burglar is there.
Install Timers For Electronics and Lights
This tip and the previous one go hand-in-hand. Just as outdoor lights can be a deterrent, indoor lights and large electronics being on will also deter burglars. If you are gone for long periods of time, such as work or vacation, it is a good idea to install plug-in timers or set up rules in your smart home system to turn lights and electronics on and off randomly.
This will make it seem like someone is home even when you are not.
Secure Doors and Windows
This may seem like an obvious tip to protect your home, but because it is so obvious it can be overlooked. Keeping your windows and doors locked is a great deterrent; however if you forget to lock them or have outdated locks they can be a great way for burglars to get in.
Get into the habit of locking your windows after having them open. Also try to lock your doors while you are home. That way when you leave you will either have to unlock it reminding you to lock it or it will stay locked as you leave.
It’s important to keep locks updated as well. New technology has allowed for locks that automatically lock after you’ve shut the door or at a certain time. This can bring peace of mind when leaving the house.
Install a Home Security System
Installing a home security system is the most effective way to prevent break-ins. According to a SafeWise study, 75% of homes do not have a security system in place. This number is surprising when you think about the protection a security system can provide.
The good thing about security systems is that there is a lot of variety depending on your budget and how much protection you would like. It can be as simple as installing one camera to having a system that will call the police to your house if there is a suspected break-in.
The 5 tips listed above are just a few ways to make your home more secure. There are several other ways, so try the 5 listed and then expand!
Stay tuned in to our blog for other home maintenance tips and all of the home care needs you need to know!