10 Home Security Tips Any Home Owner Should Know to Keep Safe

One of the most significant fears of everyone is experiencing a home robbery. The notion arises from the fact that burglars often target vacant houses, knowing they can easily find valuable items without any obstruction. While installing an alarm provides some level of security, it may not always suffice, and many conventional security measures are already widely known. Therefore, it becomes crucial to implement new approaches to enhance home protection and ensure greater safety.

1. Install a security camera.

When you decide to install security cameras in your home, make sure that you also have a few cameras placed at eye level. This way, you’ll have a higher chance of recording the burglar’s face. And if you decide to buy a fake camera, make sure that you add it the correct way. Those that feature a red light can often be recognized by burglars as fake ones.

2. Never hide keys in flower pots, mailboxes, or under mats.

The first places burglars look for house keys are carpets, mailboxes, and flowerpots — burying them in the latter can lead the intruder to become suspicious and simply break them.

Ideally, you should hide the key in a place that’s difficult for the thief to access, but, at the same time, allows you to access it easily. Sometimes the best hiding places are those in plain sight, such as in the barbeque grill, the birdhouse, or the doghouse. You can also use your imagination to find the best hiding place to make it difficult for strangers to get into your home.

3. If you see a red tape on your door, remove it quickly.

Thieves may stick a tape, and it’s usually a see-through one, on the door handle. Suppose the tape is still there a day or so later. The squatters believe that the owner is away since the door hasn’t been used. This strategy has become alarmingly prominent in Dublin. The police warned people to be vigilant and remove any tape immediately after seeing it.

Some of these markings are left by dog thieves signaling that your home has a money-wise worthy breed to steal. Supposedly, red chalk marks are for large dogs, and yellow and pink marks refer to medium and small dogs. The police advise dog owners to keep their eyes open around their properties and report any such instances to the police. Lastly, pay extra attention when walking their pets.

4. Maintain an open garden with pruned trees.

Thieves can use the trees in your yard to hide or even access multi-story homes more easily. In this case, it is best to keep your trees well-trimmed and, if possible, your yard looking large and tidy.

Also, take care of creepers and make sure that any vegetation on your property does not act as a “shield” for the intruder to steal your things without being detected. Another factor you should take into account is the lawn: if you don’t mow it often, anyone can think that your house is uninhabited, making it an easy target for any criminal.

5. Don’t put up a dog sign.

A dog sign won’t chase off burglars, in fact, you’re just telling them what they should expect and be prepared for. So if you do have a dog and want it to signal you when someone is entering the house, don’t put up a dog sign.

6. Keep the second-floor windows closed.

A group of burglars said that many people make the mistake of leaving their windows open, especially those on second floors or even in the basement. Just a glance is enough to know not only if the house is uninhabited, but also for criminals to find any valuables they can easily steal.

In this case, keeping the window closed can create doubt as to whether or not the house is actually inhabited — and being on the first or second floor won’t “lower the desire” to enter to steal. All they need is a ladder or a pole to climb, and they’ll have secured access.

7. Use the back of a drawer to hide stuff.

Normally, thieves will look inside drawers, but they won’t think to look on the underside or on the back of the furniture piece. Take an envelope that you want to hide all your important papers in and glue it to the back of a drawer in your house. This is a great hiding spot!

8. Dare to break your daily routine.

While following a routine is necessary for a balanced life, many times, assailants tend to look closely at the movements of their victims to plan their assaults. In this case, it is best to be able to detect any strange signs in your environment, whether it’s a change or the presence of a suspicious person in your neighborhood, in order to modify your daily activities.

Not doing the same things every day can create confusion for the thief, making him or her discouraged from trying to rob an unpredictable person. People of fixed habits are usually easy targets for anyone planning a home robbery since only a few days of observation are enough to carry out their evil plans.

9. Keep your bedroom door closed at night.

A closed or, even better, a locked bedroom door can give you an opportunity to act if you hear someone has broken into your home or is about to. This will also allow you to stay safer while waiting for the police to arrive and save you.

10. Put a broom against your door.

One simple way that can help to signal you when someone is entering your home is to put a broom or a mop against both your front and back doors. This way, when the burglar tries to get inside your home through one of those doors, the broom will fall down and make a noise.

People’s homes are their sanctuaries and they often try to upgrade them as much as they can. Renovations and improvements are everyday things that aim to make our lives even more comfortable.