It is a homeowner’s responsibility to keep your home safe. While an alarm system can be very helpful, you have many other choices. Continue to read to learn what other options you can keep your home safe.
Make sure that you change the locks once you’ve taken possession of the house. The previous owners or tenants might have made several copies of the key. You want to be sure that you’re the only one with a key. Also, you can contact a locksmith if you ever misplace your keys.
Always change the locks changed when you buy a new home. You never know how many keys have been handed out previously. Do the same thing if you misplace a key.
Above doors or under a mat are not smart ideas. One good place to hide your key is in the collar of a dog that does not take kindly to strangers.
Buy fire-resistant building materials. This will make your home more safe, especially if you are in a dry climate that has many power lines. You can enhance home safety with excellent fire precautions.
This can help your home under all circumstances.
Don’t allow anyone you don’t completely know to look 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 is the first rule of keeping your home security equipment.
Keep your car in your garage. Keeping the car in the garage can keep thieves from vandalizing or stealing it. Keeping your car out of sight is also a good way to prevent intruders from determining whether or not you are home.
Police Department
See if your area police department has any home protection programs. Many have quite a few helpful programs that you take, home security training and more. Contact your local police department to see if they have something similar.
Be brave! Get to know other people who live next door and others in your neighborhood. Keep an eye out for their houses, and request that they return the favor. Don’t disregard gossip either. You may stumble across valuable security information, like if someone has noticed a stranger lurking around the neighborhood.
Regardless of the quality of your home security system, be sure to have regular inspections and maintenance performed. Ask someone from your security company to do a look. You might not even discover these problems if you can’t see it.
Walls can serve as a handy hiding spot for your valuables. You should think about hiding certain small valuables in your walls. You can use the opening provided by an electrical switch plate or electric outlets as hiding spots. You can also install a fake unused plates.
If you are throwing away the box an expensive item came in, wait until trash day to put the box out. Empty boxes might draw the attention of robbers and let everyone know you own new and expensive goods.
When deciding on an alarm system, consider one that offers protection for more than just your doors. All of your windows can be entry points for a thief too. You want to be sure that monitors all your windows and doors.This is great for keeping your family secure.
Door Frame
Your door frame should be replaced if the wood around it is rotting. Rotted wood can be easily removed by thieves. Keep your home secure by replacing rotted wood with fresh timber.
Replace rotten wood near door frame. An intruder could pry away that rotted wood and enter your home. Replace the rotting door frame with a new one and keep your home as safe as possible.
Use the Internet when you are seeking a reliable home security company. After narrowing down your top five choices, you can narrow down the results and use appointments for price comparisons.
Don’t let any service people into your home without checking their references completely. You should do a background check as well to find out their criminal history. You might not know that the maid or contractor entering your home is a crook, and this could be a very bad mistake.
While alarm systems are great, they aren’t for everyone. In some neighborhoods, a class on self defense or a guard dog might be more suitable, yet in others, an advanced home security system will fit the bill. Be sure to assess the risk level you face before deciding what sort of security is best for you.
Thieves may look through your garbage to obtain personal data that will help them enter the house. You can also simply take care to tear up your discarded papers.
Consider a surveillance system for your home and property. Adding video cameras on the property can be a good idea. Visible cameras can scare intruders, and hidden ones can catch them in the act. Many surveillance systems can even be accessed via cell phone, allowing you to check up on your home when you are away.
Are the numbers on your house from the street? If your numbers cannot be plainly seen, the police will not be able to find your home as quickly if these numbers are too small or are obscured in some way.
Find out more about the various lengths of contracts your security company has on offer. There are of course pros and cons for each one. Longer contracts may create a lower bill per month, it may be hard to cancel that contract should you decide to change services or sell your house. Shorter contracts mean more freedom at a higher costs.
Ask if your company offers options to both buy and lease your security equipment. It might cost more at first when buying the equipment, but you don’t have the extra cost each month. Leasing is cheaper, but there may be hidden fees and contracts. Look at what you can afford, as well as what is offered and make an informed choice.
Don’t put your key in obvious hiding place. It is easy to find fake rock. The thief will likely look is under the mat before anything else. A better key in case you need it. If you can’t do that, at least find an unusual place to hide the key.
Having read this article, you now know what it takes to create a safe and secure home. Although it can seem like a hassle, it’s worth protecting your family. With the excellent information presented here, you can do just that.
Keep your most valuable possessions secure. Photos, passports, important documents and heirlooms should be kept where they can’t be stolen or damaged. A floor safe could be a good place for you to keep these things inside your house. An even better idea is to store them in a safe deposit box outside the home.