This is a guest post
Home security should be an issue for anyone – whether they actually own the property they live in or not. After all, even if you only rent your home, the possessions within it will mostly be yours, so you still have a reason to want to do everything possible to prevent a burglary. There are a number of security measures that anyone can take, although if the burglar is an experienced housebreaker it will be harder to defend against than an amateur. This is something that H and I have been thinking about as we’ve moved into our own house. We’ve focused most of our energy on remodeling the inside (and wedding stuff) but eventually, we are going to have to deal with some of the security issues at our place. They arent grave and dont put us in immediate danger, but they are annoying and in some cases visually un-appealing, so we’d like to take care of them.
Locks
Really this should be a no-brainer, as the householder of any property that does not have locks fitted on the doors and windows might as well be advertising it in the papers for the attention of burglars. However, ideally the locks you install should be made by an accredited company, and you should look to change the locks and tumblers on moving to a new property – or if you lose your home keys. This is one thing we’ve had yet to do. I’m not worried about a 92 year old lady breaking in and overtaking us (I hope that she is unable to drive herself), but there is always a chance of something happening. We have been looking at new locking mechanisms for the doors, but due to the age of the door, it may be easiest to just replace the whole door.
Alarms
Again it is not only a matter of having an alarm system installed, but of making sure that it is a good alarm and is in proper working order. A truly effective burglar alarm system will have all the wiring concealed from view, because if this is on show it makes it much easier for burglars to cut the wires and disconnect the alarm. Furthermore, if the alarm frequently goes off for no reason, you should get it fixed, because your neighbours will stop paying attention to a faulty alarm, meaning that someone could break in without attracting their notice. You should also think about installing outside lights with infrared detectors, at the entrance, as a deterrent to burglars
Home insurance
Even if you have good quality alarms and locks installed in your home you should still take steps to get an insurance policy. Online home insurance is available from many different insurance providers – whether you own the property and want comprehensive cover, or rent it and just want to secure the contents. Given the difficulty in securing a home fully against professional burglars, some form of financial protection is highly advisable. Our insurance covers quite a bit, and it will be nice to have – we havent had to use it yet though, thankfully.
Great post. We do not yet have an alarm system installed, but that will be our next step.
A lot of people forget about changing the locks – we did this as soon as we moved into our home six years ago. You never know to whom the previous owners handed out keys!!!
I have a back door to my condo that I totally hate. I have a secure building, but this door is not secure other than the locks I put on it. I got a super heavy duty lock to add on, but it is beyond my skill-set. I am having the handyman come in to take care of that for me.
You’re certainly right. Robbers, nowadays, are becoming more and more quick and sharp with their strategies. Arming ourselves with the right tool for protecting our homes is very crucial, no matter how small it is.
A friend told me about Godby Safe and Lock after my home in Delray Beach was broken into. I decided to install some security cameras so I visited the office of these Godby guys. Believe me, these aren’t two men in a truck. This is a company that knows their stuff and installed the ideal camera system for my small family. Check them out http://www.godbysafeandlock.com