Bharat SainiLast Updated on May 20, 2019 by Bharat Saini
No matter where you live, what kind of property you live in, whether you own it or rent it, you want to keep it as safe as possible and protect it from thieves and burglars who might want to enter and steal your possessions or do damage to the property itself. It is important to take this problem seriously; just because it hasn’t ever happened to you, or even anyone you know, doesn’t mean it never will, and merely locking your door may not be enough to deter thieves from trying to enter.
Luckily, there are lots of different things you can do to make your home more secure and to not only prevent thieves from getting in but to deter them from even trying in the first place. Here are some of the ways it can be done.
Look For Weaknesses
The first thing that you should do is to walk around the property and look at it from an objective viewpoint. You need to look at it as though you are a potential burglar, and you need to search for weak points that would allow access. You might need a tool to do it, but a professional burglar would have such a tool on them, and therefore, your home is not safe.
Some local police departments will do this for you, and offer you advice as to what you can do afterward to ensure that your home is as safe as possible, and if your local PD offers this service, it is a good idea to take it. They will be able to spot all kinds of potential issues. Even if you have to do the job yourself, it is still worth doing, and you are sure to spot something that could be a problem, after which you can fix it.
Keep Shrubbery Trimmed
If the shrubbery and greenery around your home is wild and untrimmed, a thief could easily hide in it, watching to see when you leave the house and what your schedule is, or he or she could use it to cover the fact that they are breaking in as they won’t be so easily seen from the street.
If the shrubbery is neat and tidy, there will be nowhere to hide, and any thief would think twice before attempting to break in if they could easily be seen by anyone passing. To make things even more safe, you could choose to plant thorny plants around the windows (and you can find some extremely attractive thorny plants to use!) so that a thief would hurt themselves if they tried to break in.
Build A Fence
A fence can be an ideal way to stop anyone from coming onto your property or to see what you might have in your yard that they can take. It is easy to choose and install a great privacy fence, allowing you complete peace of mind while also giving you an attractive outlook for your property. You can compare different materials and looks and choose something that will blend in with the neighborhood too, make the entire project one that works for everyone.
It’s a good idea to speak to professional fence builders and suppliers as to what is going to be the best way to deter thieves; you don’t want to install a great looking fence only to find that it actually makes it easier for burglars to access your property because they can climb it quickly.
Hide Expensive Items
Although you should be able to have your own possessions out on show in your own home, the fact that thieves are around means that sometimes this is not a good idea. It can be wise to hide expensive items away from windows where they might be seen by would-be burglars as having them on show is a temptation that might be too hard to resist.
Always put garden tools, bikes, and other equipment and machinery away when you are done using it as well. Leaving things lying around might be convenient to you if you are going to use them again shortly, but it is also convenient to thieves, and when you want to use it again you might find it has been taken.
Get To Know Your Neighbors
When you know your neighbors – and get on with them well – you can ask each other to keep an eye on your homes when anyone is out, especially if you are going on vacation. A thief might notice mail piling up, or the fact that garbage hasn’t been collected, and take it as a sign that they have more time than usual to break in since you are clearly away. If your neighbor can pick up the mail and draw the drapes or switch some lights on to make it look as though someone is home, a thief will be less likely to try something.
It is also useful if you are working different shifts, or simply have different schedules, to other people in the street. There will always be someone at home who can alert the others if something suspicious is happening.
Motion Sensor Lighting
It’s good to have lighting in your yard so that you can enjoy it more when the weather is warm, but there is another reason for having this kind of lighting too; security. Motion sensor lighting will pick up if someone is moving around your property at night, and the light will come on. The brighter the light and more sudden the brightness, the more startled anyone who is sneaking around will be, and they will run off.
Not only will those who are trespassing run away, but you will also be alerted to the fact that someone was on your property, giving you the chance to check that everything is still secure. You may need to lock a door or close a window that you had forgotten, and this gives you the knowledge that this needs to be done.
