Next Saturday (October 28th) marks the official end of British Summer Time and sees the clocks go back an hour.
Turning back the clocks will obviously result in fewer daylight hours and this may give thieves motivation to try and break into your home during the added hours of darkness.
To raise awareness of home security at this time of the year, October is National Home Security Month (NHSM). The organisers of this initiative recently found that a quarter of British householders have NO home security – it’s an unbelievable figure!
If you’re one of these householders you need to make your home secure NOW. Here are five home security measures you can put into practice.
Replace your old windows and doors
Time may have caught up with your existing windows and doors. When traditional windows and doors age their frames and locking mechanisms tend to become less resilient, making it easier for them to be forced open.
Get them taken out and integrate the latest UPVC or aluminium windows and doors into your property to restore window and door security. They have very sophisticated locks and can almost withstand anything.
Go around the house before bedtime or when leaving the house empty to check that your new windows and doors are securely fastened too.
Change the locks
If purchasing new windows and doors isn’t viable at the moment due to financial constraints, you should at least have the locks changed, particularly if you have just inherited your property from a previous owner.
You never know who might have a spare pair of keys, so contact your nearest locksmith and get them to fit the best and strongest locks you can afford.
Hand out a spare key, don’t leave it out!
When a fellow family member or close friend needs access to your home and you’re not in, there’s always the temptation to leave a spare key out for them. It’s a dangerous thing to do as thieves aren’t stupid and will look under the plant pot outside your front door or wherever else to see if a spare key has been left behind.
It’s much safer to have a spare key or two cut for the people you wholeheartedly trust to enter into your home in your absence.
Ask family or friends to pay a visit
Following on from the last point, if you’re going away on holiday ask a family member or friend to use their spare key to keep an eye on the house.
Tell them to come in the morning to remove any post from your letterbox and at night to draw the curtains to hide the fact that the property is unoccupied for a week or two.
Refrain from publicising your absence on social media as you never know who’s looking at your profile.
Install an alarm system
Experienced thieves can easily recognise a ‘real’ alarm from a ‘fake’ alarm system. A genuine, quality home alarm is likely to make them think twice about attacking your living space.
There are two typical types of home alarm available:
- Bells-only
- Monitored
A bells-only alarm will go off for approximately 20 minutes when it detects a forced entry. After 20 minutes it will flash until it has been properly switched off.
A monitored alarm works a little differently. When someone breaks into your home, an external security company will try and get in touch with you. If they’re unable to contact you, they will instead notify a nominated key holder and / or the Police.
Also, make sure that you change any code for the alarm regularly.
Clearview has the home improvements needed to make your home ultra-secure. Get a quote now to take the first step towards a better protected property.
