As it is likely your most valuable asset, taking care of your home is beneficial to your life in multiple ways. Home insurance is a great way to protect your investment and ensure continued success for you and your family, but it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. In fact, you can improve the safety of your house through minor, low-cost methods that signal to the outside world that you care and take security seriously. Today, we will discuss simple security tips for homeowners to take control of their everyday home safety and dissuade criminals – all at the cost of just a few minutes of your time.
Simple Tips To Improve Home Security
When a hurricane is coming straight for your property or a flood encroaches on your home’s structure, there isn’t much for you to do. However, homeowners who take active steps to improve home security and protect themselves from would-be criminals have a noticeably lower chance of criminals attempting to come onto the property.
Tip #1 – Install and Use An Alarm
When asked, many criminals – around 60 percent, according to recent data – claimed that they would actively avoid a property if they determined it to have a working alarm system in place. However, an alarm by itself isn’t useful, and some burglars might call your bluff and continue with their crimes if they can see that an alarm isn’t activating. Make sure to install working alarms, update them as necessary, run tests, and check their status before you go to bed.
Tip #2 – Secure All Access Points
Criminals know that the front door isn’t the best place to look for unlocked entrances. Most will head for other areas like windows, lanais, patios, and garages that are less likely to have locks and additional types of protection. Any form of roadblock you place between a criminal and your home dramatically increases the chances they cut their losses and retreat.
Keep sliding glass doors that attach to outdoor areas locked, and consider placing a solid object – like a broomstick or plank of wood – in the sliding track to prevent it from opening. In garages, even if the garage door is closed, lock the door leading to the house, adding one additional layer if someone manages to get into the garage. Windows should have locks and alarms that will alert if they detect tampering or motion.
Tip #3 – Make Your House Look Busy
Especially important if you plan to leave on a trip and leave your house unattended, find ways to make your home look lived-in at all times. This can include checking mail regularly, taking garbage bins away from the street on time, and keeping some lights on in central areas of the home. If prospective thieves think someone isn’t home, they are much more likely to try and find a way in. Scenarios where a thief comes face to face with a homeowner are more dangerous than if they entered an empty home, so you should never give off the impression to the public that your house is in disrepair or disuse. If you do these simple tasks immediately before you leave for a trip, you can give off the impression that the home is still occupied during the duration.
Tip #4 – Use Security Signs
Thieves want an easy target and don’t want to gamble entering a home that proudly displays the alarm system that protects it. According to surveys, the signs and stickers on front lawns, windows, and entrances were among the top 10 reasons that criminals retreated from an attempted burglary.
These tips can only take you so far; home insurance is crucial for full protection and peace of mind.
Anderson & Associates Insurance Group is a professional home and business insurance provider based in Manatee County, Florida. Call us today to learn how we can further protect your home from property damage and theft.
