Interested in learning how you can deter burglars from breaking into your house? It’s a worry we all have, but there are simple things you can do to make your home less susceptible to a break-in. Read on to discover our top tips to deterring burglars from breaking into your home.
12 Tips To Deter Burglars
- Lock Doors and Window – It may sound simple, but it’s something many people forget to do. Whether you are leaving your home for a few days or even a couple of minutes, make sure to check that all windows and doors are locked and the keys aren’t left in the locks!
- Hide Your Valuables – The number one way to deter burglars is to not tempt them to break-in in the first place by leaving your valuables in plain view. Can you see your handbag, laptop and other expensive items from the living room window? If you’re not using them, keep them tidied away and out of sight, even if you’re at home. You don’t want to be advertising your possessions for a potential break-in later on.
- Get a Dog – It won’t be for everyone, but a dog can act as a great security alert. When the dog barks at unknown or new people entering the house it will alert neighbours and is a massive deterrent to burglars. Just remember that a dog is for life, make sure you can look after it before buying.
- Install Security Lighting – Burglars don’t want to be seen and will opt for homes that are dimly lit. By installing automatic sensor lighting around your property, it means the lights will turn on as soon as a person enters the perimeter of your home. Sensor security lighting is a great way to deter burglars from breaking into your home.
- Gravel Your Driveway – Anything that draws attention to a burglar will put them off from breaking into your home! Gravel makes a distinctive noise when walked on, that can be louder than you think, especially in the dead of night. Adding gravel to your driveway and side alleys of your home will help stop your home becoming a target of theft.
- Install a CCTV System – A visibly CCTV system with cameras covering the ‘weak’ points of your property such as side alleys and entrances, as well as out the back and front of your home, is one of the most effective ways to prevent a home break-in. A burglar will most likely move on to a less secure target once they’ve seen you have a CCTV system which increases their chance of being caught and identified on video.
- Put Home & Garden Tools Away – By leaving out valuable tools in your garden or around your property you are advertising your possessions as well as tempting burglars to break-in and take them. Stop giving them this opportunity by aways securely locking them away and out of view. Tools that are left out can also be used by intruders to break into your home, especially hammers and ladders!
- Install a Burglar Alarm – A burglar alarm not only indicates to an intruder that you take your home security seriously, but it will also deter them from breaking-in in the first place. But most importantly, make sure you set it at night and when you leave the house!
- Leave Keys Aways From Entrances – Leave your house and car keys near the front door? Break that habit and put them away safely at the other end of the house or upstairs with you when you go to bed. Burglars know that many people keep their keys close to the door for convenience and therefore find ways of reaching through windows and letterboxes to reach your keys to let themselves in!
- Put Lights on a Timer – Deter a burglar from breaking into your home when you’re not there, by putting a few lights on a timer. The idea is to make it seem like someone is at home, even if they’re not. If a light is on in your property, a burglar will assume someone is at home and is likely to look for a different target.
- Don’t Let Post Build-Up – A build-up of post is a key indicator to a burglar that someone hasn’t been at home for a while. Sign up to the Royal Mail Keepsafe service, whereby they hold your post until you return home, or get a friend or neighbour to clear your post for you.
- Add a Letterbox Guard – Adding a letterbox guard stops anyone being able to look through your letterbox and into your home. They will therefore not be able to see the layout of your house or your possessions and can deter an intruder from breaking into your home.
Although there are many things you can do to deter an intruder from breaking into your home, a smart home security system is the most effective in preventing burglary. Homewatch is fully NSI approved and can provide the bespoke design of and installation of your security system, as well as the monitoring and maintenance of it once it has been installed.
Get in touch today on 0330 094 7404 or fill out our online form for more information and a free, no-obligation quotation.
