Take a few simple preventative measures to make your home secure without breaking the bank.
With burglaries on the rise in the UK, many of us will part with vast sums of cash in the quest to secure our homes against crime.
The security of your home and family should never be compromised, but it may not be necessary to always invest in the latest pricey home surveillance system, either.
We discuss some inexpensive preventative measures you can take to deter burglars, and cut the cost of protecting your home.
Don’t draw attention to an empty house
Your house is much more likely to be broken into if it looks like no-one is home. So, if you are going out and leaving the house empty, create the illusion that there are people at home.
- Keep some lights on when you are leaving the house unoccupied. Bear in mind that a light on upstairs creates more of a sense of someone being home than just the hallway light.
- Lock all doors and windows, even if you are only going out briefly. Make sure that your house is fitted with strong locks that would withstand someone trying to force entry. Find out how to fit locks properly here.
- Leave a radio playing, as this creates the feeling that people are home.
- Shut your curtains when you go out in the evening.
- Don’t leave tools such as ladders outside your house which a burglar could use to force entry.
- If you are going away for an extended period, buy a timer to set lights and radios to come on intermittently. Timers can be bought cheaply from any DIY store.
- Ask a neighbour to keep an eye on your house while you’re away. They could collect packages left outside your home, and push post through the letterbox if it is sticking out. This all helps to make your home look lived-in.
- You could also ask your neighbour to park their car in your driveway while you are away so that your house looks occupied.
Get the most out of security devices
- Use a deadlock as well as a chain on your front door, as a chain on its own can easily be broken through.
- If you are considering buying a CCTV-like home surveillance system, normal video cameras placed strategically around the house can be just as effective, as they act as a deterrent – and cost much less money.
- Buy some relatively inexpensive motion detectors to install outside your house.
- If installing a home security system, consider trying to set it up yourself, as installation costs can quickly mount up.
- Anti-vandal paint can be bought from most home stores relatively cheaply. It acts as an effective deterrent on walls and fences, as the paint stays permanently tacky and wet.
- Invest in a simple burglar alarm. If you can’t afford that, you could buy a dummy alarm (available from DIY stores). This will put burglars off breaking into your house, even without the sound of the alarm.
- If you have a side gate on your garden, fit it with a good padlock instead of a bolt which can easily be opened from the other side.
- Consider marking your bikes and electrical equipment with your postcode. This puts thieves off because it makes the item harder to sell, and easy to identify if stolen. If you’d rather not mark your more valuable equipment, use a UV pen which can be bought cheaply from most stationers.
- When buying security lighting go for high-efficiency low-energy varieties which can be controlled by a dusk-to-dawn switch. This means they’ll only come on when it’s dark, cost very little to run and provide a constant source of low level illumination around your home during the night. Solar varieties are also available, and though not as bright, there is no running cost involved.
Know the tricks
- Even if you don’t own a dog, you could try putting a ‘Beware of the dog' sign in your window. This will discouarage most would-be burglars from approaching your home.
- Don’t hide a spare pair of keys under the front door-mat or above the door, as these are the kinds of places a burglar will always check.
- Similarly, never hang spare keys in your letterbox.
- Don’t leave any keys or handbags in view of the front door, as a burglar could reach through the letterbox and take them. Also make sure your TV and other valuables can’t be easily seen from the windows.
- Buy some gravel cheaply from your local garden centre, and use it to line your driveway or front path. Burglars will be put off by the noise created by approaching your house.
- Try trimming hedges around your doors and windows, as a burglar could use them to hide in while trying to break in.
What else can I do to protect my home?
It’s a good idea to put trellising up around the top of the fencing or walls of your garden. It will easily snap if someone tries to climb over it, making burglars less likely to try to enter your property.
This is a better option than putting up, for example, barbed wire or sharp glass round your garden walls. For one thing trellis looks more attractive than more extreme fencing, and also you could be held liable if someone hurts themselves trying to gain access to your home.
If you are concerned about fire risk to your home, you can ask your local fire service to do a safety check for free. As well as checking that you have working smoke alarms they will help you put together an escape plan in case a fire does break out.
It’s also vital to have adequate home insurance should the worst happen, but make sure you compare the prices currently on the market to get the best deal for your home.
Consider joining a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme, or setting one up if there isn’t already one in your area. This can help improve the security of your house and your neighbourhood, as well as having the potential of reducing your home insurance premiums. Find out more here.
