Home Security 101: Simple Changes You Can Make Today

You may know someone that has been a victim of a home invasion. Home invasions continue to go up, and you need to take steps to keep your home safe. This article talks about some information that can be used for boosting your home’s security.

After getting a new home, make sure to change its locks. It’s important to know everyone who has a key to your home. Changing the locks will give you peace of mind that you and your family are the only ones who have access to your home. Also, if you lose your keys, change the locks.

TIP! When summer comes around, eliminate all vegetation and dead wood from your yard. This sort of thing is a fire hazard in the heat of summer.

Be sure that your home is always be occupied. You can buy timers to have radios, lights, lights and other electronics go off and on at different times. This will make it look like someone is at your house at all times. This is a great way to improve your home’s safety and avoid burglaries.

Above a door frame or under doormats are much too common to hide them and potential criminals will check them first. One idea is to hide your key is in the collar of a dog that does not take kindly to strangers.

There’s no security system so durable that it can go without regular maintenance and inspections. Have yours checked out once a year. This is a job for professionals; get a security firm to inspect your equipment. There are many things that can reduce the quality of your system. You may not be able to tell there is an issue by yourself.

TIP! Changing your locks first can help make your home much more secure. As time passes, keys end up getting into the wrong hands.

Ask friend for any advice before you choose a security system or service. Your loved ones likely have dealt with you. Ask around to get lots of advice for making a good choice.

Don’t let any person you don’t know into your house. Even if the person has a compelling story, requires help or has a great product to sell, they should not be given access. This person might just be casing the first rule of keeping your home secure.

Walls make the perfect hiding spot. Jewelry and other small items can be protected very well when placed in hiding places in your walls. Target any unused phone jacks or electrical outlets for an easy hiding spot. Even if every single plate in your home is being used, you can purchase a fake one purpose-built for concealing valuables.

TIP! You never want people to be able to see your valuables from outside of your home. While having huge windows may be good for letting in light and viewing what is outside, it also gives potential thieves a good look in your own home.

Some maintain that rural residents lead riskier lives because they are far away from neighbors. Others hold that rural places have less of a chance of being targets for burglars.

Don’t forget skylights when securing your home. Skylights are excellent for beauty and light, but they are also easy ways for burglars to enter your home. Be certain that skylights in your home are durable and reliable.

If you purchase big-ticket items, don’t throw their boxes in the trash before trash day. Having these type of boxes hanging around will give robbers a good idea of what type of merchandise you have inside of your home.

TIP! If you’ve just gotten a home, replace every lock. You have no way of knowing whether the previous homeowner is trustworthy.

Use the space in walls to store your walls as hiding spaces. You don’t have to damage the walls to do this. Many areas in your house are already cut that can be used for this purpose.

Don’t ever place your spare key under doormats or in planters. These are the first places for you when they try to enter your key. Thieves know common hiding spots.

If you are entering a house that has already been occupied, you should first change your locks. Even if the tenants turned their keys in, they may have made copies. You can do your own installation to make sure that no one else has a key.

TIP! Before letting someone from a security company into a house, get some sort of official identification. Thieves may say they are from a certain company to get into your home.

Do not assume you are safe from home burglaries. If your home looks vulnerable, it’s a target. Make your home a safer place for your family by following the advice presented here and making your home unappealing to burglars.