How to make your home a hard target for burglars
Did you know that enhancing your home security is something you should look into right from the time you set out to buy a home or apartment? A bit of intelligent, well focused fact-finding can help cut risks to your safety and security.
After you move in, there are many practical steps you should consider taking to burglar-proof your home. The article below lists some of the most useful ones.
Implementing all or part of these tips can help make your home a more secure place to live. Go over these steps keeping in mind the unique factors in your situation and decide what you should look into.
The fact is, there are a number of simple, commonsense steps you can take to minimize the chances of your home being burglarized.
* Prevention if usually better than cure. Before you rent or buy a home / apartment, get to know the neighborhood. Talk to residents; ask about burglaries and other crimes in the locality. Being aware of what's happening in the area should be a part of the process of finding a place to live in.
* If possible, have a security expert evaluate the home. Incidentally, many police departments will do a security check of your home at no cost. You will often be alerted to problems you didn't know existed.
* Don't hide keys outside the house for fear of being locked out. Getting a locksmith to open your door is a whole lot cheaper than losing valuables because a burglar discovered your hidden keys!
Where possible, team up with a neighbor and hold one set of each other's keys. That way you have a spare set of keys available should the need arise.
* Trim bushes around your house before they grow enough to easily hide a burglar.
* Having good lighting around your home or apartment complex is an important factor in deterring intruders. If there are burnt-out bulbs or the lighting is inadequate, address the issue
* If you have windows accessible using fire escapes or directly from the ground, they should not open wide enough to let an intruder in. A screw built into the frame can accomplish this; plus there are other stops available. Of course, you should be able to escape in the event of a fire.
* There are anti-lift devices available that can prevent an entire window or sliding door being lifted out of its frame. If you do not install them, thieves may make locks irrelevant by lifting the window or door.
* Your door should have a dead bolt, not just the lock in the knob. Get one installed, if you don't have one already.
* Avoid listing your complete address in the phone book. List only your street name, at most. This will prevent someone doing reverse listings to find out your name and phone number using your address.
* It's tempting to leave notes for your kids or neighbors on mailboxes or doors. This is an open declaration that you're not home.
* Don't announce your absence from home through your answering machine. An answering machine is useful for identifying suspicious patterns of missed calls.
* There are a number of excellent home security systems available. If you feel the level of risk warrants it, consider using them.
* Decals are often a good deterrent. Alarm system decals or beware of dog, neighborhood watch signs can make would-be burglars think twice.
Utilize these suggestions and you'll make your home a safer place to live in.
One danger we've noticed when people look at home or office security is that they dismiss many ideas as being too simple or not workable. The fact is, a series of well-thought-out simple steps is what it takes to keep your home safe and secure.
James Bond style gadgetry often won't help you as much as taking a commonsense approach to the whole issue.
If necessary, engage the services of a security expert to evaluate your home or office and to make suggestions. Be sure to check into their references and also with the local police department before you engage them, though. Many of them are more interested in selling you a bunch of expensive electronics than in really enhancing your security.
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Yahoo! News Search Results for apartment security Yahoo! News Search Results for apartment security Weekly money Q&A (New York Daily News) I have a friend who had a fire in her apartment caused by lightning and was hospitalized, and was later was sent to a nursing home. Her landlord never returned her security deposit. Read more questions like this with answers.
MacBook calls home, helps arrest two burglars (TG Daily)
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