When a burglar breaks into your home, he steals more than your valuables; he also steals your family’s peace of mind. In order to minimize the risk of a break-in or to prevent a repeat occurrence, follow these helpful tips to protect your family and your possessions.
Keep Your Home Looking Lived-In
To make sure your home doesn’t look vacant, connect your lights, radios or television sets to automatic timers to avoid becoming an easy target after dark. Piles of newspapers and an uncut lawn are welcome signs for burglars, so ask your neighbors to pick up your mail and papers. Ask them to put out your trash cans and keep the lawn mowed if you’re going to be gone for more than a week.
Tighten Security
Taking the proper precautions by enhancing the locks on your doors is a simple but reassuring measure to prevent break-ins. If you have a door with only a single lock in the doorknob, you can contact locksmith to install a deadbolt lock or a second lock as a preventive measure. A locksmith in Stouffville has suggested that if you have already had one break-in, you will probably want to call a service like Affordable Lock Services Inc. and have them replace all the locks in your home in order to avoid a second incident.
Don’t Make It Easy
No one intentionally makes a home easy to break into, but you can make it more difficult for would-be burglars. Don’t leave any notes on the door or the pass code anywhere near the alarm. Put a rod in the track of your sliding glass patio door so it can’t be opened from the outside and don’t leave a spare key anywhere for an unwelcome visitor to find.
Increase Visibility
Trim all bushes and hedges near the house to increase visibility and decrease hiding places for burglars. Install motion sensor lights, especially in the darkest spots around your property.
Know Your Neighbors
You and your neighbors all watch for unusual activity or suspicious behavior in the neighborhood, you will all be safer and would-be burglars are not likely to succeed.
Your home should be a safe haven for you and your family, and following these simple tips will increase your sense of security and well-being. Adding secure locks and making your home look as “normal” and as visible as possible while you’re gone are the best ways to deter a burglar looking for his next target.