Follow some simple tips for home security to ensure your time away won’t turn into a break-in of theft. There are many ways to take off attention of your home when you’re away and to keep it secure when you’re at home, including simple tricks like utilizing shrubbery as a barrier or installing motion-sensor lights.
1. Alarm Systems – A study by Rutgers University showed that intruders avoid homes with professional alarm systems, without displacing burglaries to neighboring homes. Following this logic, the more houses with alarm systems on the street, the safer the neighborhood.
2. Garage Security – Avoid garage doors that have windows as burglars can see when your car is gone. The easiest way to deal with them, in case you cannot afford a new door, is to frost or cover them.
3. Security Lights – Choose to pay a little more on your electricity bill and light up the house. Moreover, scare off the uninvited with motion-sensor lights.
4. Shrubbery – Not only does it beautify the exterior of your home, but it can also keep curious eyes off your home by maintaining it tall enough to create a barrier, and low enough that an intruder can’t hide.
5. Home Security Signs – Place these around the home; announcing that the house is monitored nonstop, can deter criminals from trying to trespass.
While you’re away, fight the temptation to leave notes on the door for family members or service people. Furthermore, turn down the telephone ringer so no one hears you’re not around to answer it. Set items like lamps and radios on a timer so they give the impression that your residence isn’t vacant. Ideal would be to send a trusted friend or neighbor visit your home regularly while you’re away and collect mail, water plants, and flick on and off some lights to show some activity at your house.
Don’t, under any circumstance, leave extra keys under doormats, potted plants, or any other outdoor location. If you don’t have a trusted neighbor you can leave them to, make sure you hide them in an inconspicuous place.
