8 Home Security Tips You Should Know to Keep Your Family Safe

8 Home Security Tips You Should Know to Keep Your Family Safe

Mar 28th 2018

Your home is your oasis and escape from the world. Read this post to learn the home security tips that will keep your home and your family safe.

In 2016, there were over 1 million property crimes in California alone. A break-in leaves your belongings vulnerable. It can also put your loved ones in danger.

With this in mind, you must learn the various methods to keep your home safe. Here are 8 home security tips you should use to keep your home and family safe.

1. Remove Your Mail Slot

If you have a mail slot, you may as well ask someone to break into your house. Old-fashioned mail slots offer burglars easy access to your front door handle. Entering through the mail slot, they can pull down the handle with as simple a tool as a coat hanger.

If you have a wooden door, a mail slot will most likely go against the grain of the wood. This weakens the horizontal integrity of your door, thus making it easier to force open.

You can install a mail slot at the bottom of the door or no higher than a quarter of the way up the door.

2. Befriend Your Neighbors

Becoming friends with your neighbors gives you access to your own personal security guard. This is especially true if you go on holiday.

Ask your neighbors to pick up your mail and remove flyers sticking out from your front door. The idea is to make it seem like someone is in.

To achieve this, ask your neighbors to turn on your sprinklers in the evening, for example. If you trust them, you could give them a key to your home and ask them to turn on the lights once in a while.

You could also stop newspaper and mail deliveries for the duration of your holiday. This will stop mail from piling up, especially if your neighbors are away as well.

3. Don't Pack Your Car the Night Before a Holiday

To avoid stress, many pack their cars the night before they leave on holiday. One of the best home security tips we can offer is to pack your car the morning of your trip.

Packing your car the night before invites thieves to break into your car to steal valuables. It can also tell them how long you plan on leaving for depending on the amount of luggage you have.

Pack your car in the morning and leave some of your outdoor lights on. Also, don't post pictures on social media until you are back from your holiday. This is in case you know the person targeting your home.

4. Don't Leave Signs Signalling That No One Is Home

There are signs that burglars look out for to establish whether their victims are home.

One of the best and often overlooked home security tips is to turn down the volume on your landline.

If your landline is in your corridor, it may ring while you are away. Make sure that you and anyone else passing by cannot hear the ringer or the voicemail.

Additionally, don't leave notes for the mailman, paperboy, or delivery messengers. Leaving a sign telling them you're away is a sure fire way to make yourself a target.

Once again, ask your neighbors to keep an eye out for parcels and other mail.

5. Choose a Well-Established Locksmith

More than 34% of all burglars break-in to homes through the front door.

With this in mind, choose an honest and reputable locksmith. Some locksmiths are unlicensed and dishonest. They're therefore more likely to install faulty or low-quality locks.

Choose a locksmith that can install double cylinder locks as these can prevent break-ins. Your locksmith should be insured and bonded. Also, ask your locksmith for extra home security tips. After all, they're trained to keep homes safe.

6. Install a Home Security System

To keep your home as safe as possible, install a home security system. These come in all shapes, sizes, and with various price tags.

Today, you can choose from different custom security kits with various extra features.

One of our most recommended home security tips is to look beyond alarms. While these can alert you and the police in your area, they may not deter thieves completely.

Couple these systems with others such as:

You should install these in the right location as well. Your motion detector lights should turn on when someone approaches any of the entrances to your home.

You should also install one where your neighbors can see it so that they can check up on your home if they turn on in the evenings.

You should also install alarms by the front doors. Wireless window alarms are also effective tools to keep your home safe.

7. Remember to Lock All First Floor Windows

A huge 23% of burglars come in through ground floor windows. They either break the window or the lock, or the window was already open.

Burglars are often people you've met before. It could be a serviceman, gardener, or other workers, for example. If they use the downstairs bathroom, they could unlatch the window.

Before going out, check all the windows and doors are locked, including the bathroom ones.

8. Install a Safe

If you do fall victim to a burglary, a safe could save you a lot of money and heartache. Plus, today, safes don't have to cost you a fortune.

There are different safes that can hold all your small valuables and papers. The key is to fasten it to the floor or wall to stop a burglar from walking away with it.

Not only this, modern safes come with options such as biometric opening systems for added security.

These models are more expensive but good for those of you who store sensitive documents or expensive jewelry in your home, for example.

Get More Home Security Tips From the Experts at Alarm Liquidators

Do you want to go on holiday without worrying about the safety of your home? If so, you must follow some, if not all the home security tips outlined above.

If you want expert advice on how to protect your home, contact Alarm Liquidators today!

With over 40 years in the industry, we provide the highest quality security equipment to dealers, business, and homeowners, at very reasonable prices.