Everyone deserves a safe space to live in. Your home’s a place where you’re able to truly relax. You want your home to be your place of comfort and safety. It’s your sanctuary away from all the chaos of the outside world. Your home contains everything that’s precious to you. Your family, your memories, and your possessions. So it’s vital that you work out how to keep these things safe.
How to Improve Your Home’s Security | Lifestyle
Unfortunately, each year, many people are targeted by thieves. Having your home burgled is a simply terrible experience. It’s something that impacts so many, but still feels awful when it happens to you. According to the FBI, figures show that 1.1 million burglaries happened in the United States in 2019. While the number of reported burglaries has dropped in recent times, there’s no escaping the fact it’s traumatic if it happens to you. So, how can you keep your property secure and protect your family and possessions? Let’s take a look at some of the actions you can take to make this happen:
Secure Your Entry Points
What condition are your external doors in? How about your windows? These entry points play a huge part in your home’s security. If they’re in need of repair or not robust, you could have a potential issue. As well as taking care to ensure your entry points are sturdy, you can also improve your locks. Not all locks are equal. Having a qualified, licensed locksmith fit new locks can make a huge difference. You’ll feel so much more secure in your home when you have high-quality locks, such as dead-bolt locks, fitted.
Taking these steps to improve the security of your entry points could also be beneficial for your insurance. Your enhanced security could mean your insurance premiums are lower if you update your insurance provider with the details. This is because your home’s at less of a risk of being broken into.
Be Careful Online
So many people make the massive mistake of giving away too much information online. It’s so easy to post photos where your street number’s showing in the background. Or to post about your new car or fancy new device. Even worse, you may post sunny snaps from your vacation. All these social media posts may seem innocent. People post all this stuff all the time. But it does put you at risk of being targeted. So, always think before you post. It’s also worth checking the privacy of your settings to avoid strangers knowing more than you’d like about your lifestyle.
Credit: photo by depositphotos.com
Don’t Take Chances
It’s so tempting to leave the door unlocked while you quickly pop to the store or to leave your windows open overnight to get some air. However, it only takes doing this once for a burglary to happen. Unfortunately, opportunist thieves are always on the lookout for just this kind of homeowner error. Innocently doing one of these things just once can be a massive mistake to make. As well as ensuring that you don’t do these things, you also need to be sure that your family is just as vigilant. If you have older kids that are sometimes home alone, it’s worth reiterating to them the need to always lock up and not take any chances. This is especially the case if they often have their buddies coming in and out the house when you’re not home. It’s so easy to get distracted and forget to lock up. But, it’s something that can cause a big issue in the future.
Add Some Privacy
If your home doesn’t have clear boundaries, the chances are people have wandered onto your property at some point. This can be frustrating, but it’s also a security risk. This is because it demonstrates how easy it is for someone to come onto your property. If you can, it’s a wise idea to install some boundaries. This could be a fence with a gate. It doesn’t even need to be tall, it just needs to clearly define the border. Obviously, the taller you go, the more privacy and security you’ll potentially have. If you prefer, you could even plant some bushes to protect your property from prying eyes and add an element of security. Anything that makes it harder for a potential intruder to enter your land is worth the effort.
If your backyard is easily accessible from the front of your property, you may want to change this. Installing a gate to keep unwanted visitors out the back of your property is always a wise idea. It’s far easier for an intruder to sneak around the back undetected and enter your home that way than at the front. So, why not make it harder for them to get around the back in the first place? This will add an extra layer of security to your property.
Get Smart
Smart homes bring so much convenience to daily life. Being able to control your home from a central hub is a great feeling. But one major benefit of having a smart home is that you can take charge of its security. Camera doorbells have made it so much easier for homeowners to carry out surveillance on their properties. Being able to see what’s happening when you’re not home or during the night is a real advantage. The footage will help flag up any potential security issues. Plus, you’ll be able to identify changes that can be made to fix these security problems.
If you’re a fan of all things tech, this is the perfect security solution for you.
Final Thoughts on Security
As you can see, there are tons of changes you can make to improve your home’s security. Some changes are really easy to make, others are a tiny bit more costly. However, the main factor that will improve security in your home is to be proactive about it. Thinking about your property from a security perspective and taking action to introduce changes is always worth the time and investment.
