There’s no place like home and there’s no better feeling than a secure home. Having your property intruded by burglars can be a stressful experience both financially and emotionally, and while you can’t 100% prevent burglaries from ever happening, there are plenty of ways you can safeguard your home to significantly reduce the risk of becoming a target for thieves. We’ve suggested 30 ways to fend off the burglars to get you started.
Make changes to the exterior of your home
Start from the outside of your house and work your way in. Making simple changes to the exterior of your property can be the difference between your home being a prime target and being a no-go zone for potential thieves. The key is to think like a burglar – make entry to your property as difficult as possible. Here’s a couple of changes you could make:
- Surround your garden with a sturdy fence or thorny hedges to make life hard for burglars. They’ll be more likely to give up at this first hurdle then.
- Don’t have any trees too close to your house as they can be used as a way to access upstairs windows in your house.
- Keep expensive items out of view through your windows.
- Never hide spare keys outside your house.
- Consider upgrading your exterior doors and windows so they’re more secure.
Keeping up with the neighbours
Knowing your neighbours can be one of your best security assets, as they can warn you of any suspicious activity on your property whether you’re at home or away. You can take it one step further and find out if there’s a Neighbourhood Watch scheme in operation in your area.
Don’t share your holiday on social media
While sharing your holiday snaps with friends and family on social media is a lovely way of keeping in touch, it also lets the burglars know that you’re out of town. Try to avoid checking-in on social media sites and tagging your location in real time. Wait until you’ve returned home to upload those poolside photos and anecdotes of your adventures.
Inside your home
If you’re hanging a mirror in your hallway, it's important to be mindful of where you place it as you might accidentally provide the perfect angle for a burglar to see further into your home.
Did you know that over 200 sets of keys are fished out through doors every year? This highlights how important it is to never leave keys or car keys in or near your front door.
Break-ins increase by 36% in the winter time and are more likely to occur between 5 and 11pm – so be sure to keep your home well lit during those dark winter months to keep the burglars at bay.
Have an attic area? Burglars are reluctant to get trapped in the attic so storing your valuables there is always worthwhile to avoid the burglars finding them.
With so many simple ways to safeguard your home, you can rest easy in no time. You can ensure further peace of mind by taking out a house insurance policy to protect your house, its contents or even both. Talk to your insurer today to discuss the best options for you.
