11.03.2017

Tips To Keep Your Home Safe And Secure This Winter

With winter fast approaching, there is a lot that you need to do to protect your home from the
elements. Unfortunately, it’s not just the wind, rain, snow, and cold weather that you have to worry about when winter comes around, you also need to protect your home from burglars. It’s a well-known fact that more home burglaries are committed during the winter months, and there are a lot of ideas as to why, including burglars simply having more time at night to commit the crimes, as it gets darker earlier. Whatever the reason, you have to take steps to protect yourself from theft, and a few of those steps are listed below.

Lock All Doors & Windows
This may seem like a pretty obvious first step, but you would be surprised how many homeowners forget to lock a window or door one night, and have their home burgled because of this. Make sure that you check every window and door every night before you go to sleep, and
then get your partner to check, just to make sure. If you think that one of your windows or doors may be able to be pried open by burglars, add an extra lock to it, just to be on the safe side.

Don’t Keep Keys Outside
A lot of people keep a set of keys outside of their home, under a mat or in a plant pot, in case they lose their key and get locked out of their property. While this may seem like a sensible idea, it is always possible that a burglar will be able to find your key, and simply let themselves into your home. Rather than do this, leave a set of keys with a neighbor that you trust. If you’d rather not leave a key with a neighbor, invest in a key safe that you can install outside your property.

Keep Your Yard Tidy
You may be wondering why this would be helpful, but it’s quite simple, really - A messy yard has a lot more places to hide than a tidy one. It’s particularly important to ensure that you keep any shrubs tidy and trimmed, as this is the perfect place for a burglar to hide.

Repair Your Garage Door
Another way that burglars manage to get into homes is through a garage connected to the property. If your garage door isn’t secure, then you should really think about getting repaired sooner rather than later. It doesn’t even have to be expensive; There are plenty of places that offer affordable garage door repair, so there really is no excuse for not protecting your home.

Install Floodlights
Nothing deters a burglar more than seeing a well-lit home. After all, if the house is easily visible, the burglar themselves will be too. Therefore, it makes a lot of sense to ensure that the entryways of your home are lit up at all times, so that, even if a burglar does want to risk it, they are sure to be seen easily. You can do this by installing floodlights.

Install Motion Sensor Lights
It’s understandable if you don’t want your home lit up like a Christmas tree every night. After all, it’s not just you it’s going to bother, it might annoy your neighbors too. Instead, you could install motion sensor lights, which turn on whenever they detect someone moving nearby. This means that they will turn on whenever someone comes near your front or back door. Not only will this be good at deterring burglars, and notifying you of their presence, but it also means that your front and back lawns will be lit up at night if you need to go out there for any reason.

Install A Security Alarm System
Security alarm systems can do a lot of different things depending on the type of security alarm system you have installed. Some can even light up your home, play an alarm, record your home, and notify the police if anyone ever trips the system. Of course, these systems can get a little pricey, but can you really put a price on safety? If you really can’t afford a high-end security system, then consider installing a realistic looking decoy burglar alarm.

Change Passwords Regularly
Some homes have a password or pin code to allow entry into the front yard or home itself. You will want to ensure that you change this password regularly, just in case someone manages to find out your code. You should do the same for any security alarm systems and safes too, just to ensure that you’re protected.

Get A Dog
Dogs are really great at warding off any potential burglars. Not only is the thief worried that the dog could let it’s owners know that there is a stranger in their home, but they will also be worried about the damage that the dog could cause to them. This is one of the many reasons that dogs make the perfect addition to your family. However, it’s understandable that you may not have the money or time to take care of a dog, in which case, you may want to put up a few signs indicating that you have a dog in your home. This may be enough to ward off any random burglars but won’t help too much if a burglar has been watching your home in particular, as they are likely to know that you don’t own a dog.

With winter approaching, it is more important than ever to take measure to keep your home as safe and secure as possible. Try to make these changes sooner rather than later, as you’ll be less likely to want to install floodlights in the snow. While it may take a little time, work, and money, it will all be worth it if you can get through winter without being the victim of a burglary. I hope that these tips will help you out when you take steps to make your home more secure.

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