How to make your home safer throughout the festive period.
December can be an exciting and busy month for everyone, especially home-owners and families who are trying to juggle work, children, Christmas shopping and festive celebrations. Home security shouldn’t have to be an extra worry on top of the busiest and most stressful time of year, but it is often throughout the festive period when homeowners can find themselves worrying about keeping their home and valuables safe, including valuable Christmas gifts. Here are several ways to protect your home against burglars and deter them for good:
Add outdoor deterrents
Customer claims figures show a 34pc average in burglary increases when the clocks go back in October, and contrary to popular belief, burglars are less likely to strike at night when people are sleeping and will often target a home when people are likely to be at work, with new research finding over half of burglaries occurred when someone was at home.
If you’re concerned about your security, invest in an outdoor camera for your driveway with aim on your main entrance door, correct placement is critical, so place them high up so that they cannot be destroyed. Or, if you don’t have the cash for this technology, buying a fake camera for the front of your home will act as a warning while in plain view of passers-by.
Identify your home’s weakest spots
Nigel Fisher, MD at physical security product company Yale shares his advice on how to identify and strengthen the weak spots in your home; “To identify any weak spots in your home, you should consider all access points and what existing security measures you currently have in place. Start from the parameters of your property and work inwards. For example, is your garden fencing in good condition? You may also consider installing gravel paths, which are low cost and make it impossible for intruders to make a quiet journey to your door.
“Although it’s tempting to leave keys outside in case friends or family need access to your house, thieves are on the lookout for this. Instead, install a keyless lock and share access via virtual keys from your smartphone that can be revoked at the touch of a button.”
Fix your faulty or broken locks and fixtures
It’s important to replace windows with broken locks or doors that aren’t as strong as they used to be, as this creates another deterrent for a burglar. Many burglars find easy access through unlocked doors and windows, so be sure to replace yours if they’re not in good shape. In time for one of the darkest months, it’s an important reminder to make sure that your home is as secure as possible. If your windows and doors have suffered wear and tear, it is important to replace them to deter criminals from attempting burglary.
Your fixtures don’t have to compromise on security depending on style. Even products that you might think would be the most vulnerable such as bi-fold doors from Quickslide are available with a comprehensive PAS 24 security upgrade.
Is your house alarm working?
A working alarm is a must for every property, it not only scares trespassers and alerts neighbours, but will signal the connected control unit to a danger in your home. Make sure to routinely test your alarm every three months and remember to set it each time you leave to give you piece of mind as well as extra security.
Keep valuables and presents out of sight
“Christmas is a time that can cause homeowners anxiety, especially if there are expensive gifts in the home”, Sales and Marketing Director at Quickslide, Tom Swallow, says, “it is important to put measures into place to ensure your home’s security, as being at home to protect your Christmas shopping may not be enough to deter burglars.”
By storing presents in cupboards or under your bed until the big day, you’re keeping your home a little bit safer by keeping burglars unknowing about any valuables you may have, which to many thieves, isn’t worth the risk in finding out; always keep expensive goods out of view from the street year round, not only around Christmas time.
Online security
Your social media presence can be a big giveaway for burglars to know when they will have access to your home. Be careful when updating status’, uploading pictures or letting your friends know when you’re going to be on holiday; if your profile is not set to private anyone can access details about your day to day life when you publish it online.
