Is Your Home Burglar Proof?

Would You Burgle Your Home?

Burglaries happen on properties that look easy to break into. Whether a bundle of letters are at the door, or there are no lights on, it’s these simple signs that can show a burglar that no ones home. Not forgetting people leaving the back door unlocked, and believe us, it happens more often than you think. All of these, plus many other factors make entering the property too tempting to pass, which is why burglaries are so common. Burglaries may be something that can never be completely stopped, but with some simple tips, you can easily try to prevent it from happening to you.

Take a look around your street, can you tell which properties are unoccupied, the people are away or which ones are home? If you can, then so can a burglar. Yes, a vacant property is more desirable than one where someone is inside, but it doesn’t stop the burglar. So although it may not stop a burglar, simply appearing to be home can be the difference between the burglar choosing your home to someone else’s.

How to Deter a Burglar from Your Home

The main thing to remember is that your home must look lived in. Even if you’re away, have lights come on, family to move the post and never leave expensive items out on display. You’re only tempting a burglar from coming into your home. Never leave your blinds or curtains open with smartphones, tablets, or a huge TV inside as this again is temptation. And what’s worse than temptation? Someone actually acting on it and trying to retrieve those items for themselves. Once you’ve looked around your home, you’ll notice all the things you’ve done previously to reading this post, and it will surprise you. This post isn’t designed to scare you, but simply show you how to deter a burglar from your home, that said let’s find out.

10 Ways To Prevent a Burglary

We can never guarantee that these points will deter a burglar, but they can help to prevent a burglary. No matter if you live in a built-up area or in the countryside, the same rules apply. You must always make it look like there’s someone home and never leave temptation out on display. Light up the main room/s in the night and open blinds in the day (at an angle that won’t show anything). That said, here are ten ways to prevent a burglary:

1. If you’re out or away invest in light timers (choose a time that isn’t obvious, for example, 7:22, or have more than one to alternate.)
2. Don’t leave your doors unlocked, even if you’re home
3. Always check your windows and doors are locked at night and before you leave
4. Move the post – leaving them on display can make it appear that you’re away. The same goes for leaving your deliveries or boxes out
5. Outdoor motion lights will show if anyone gets too close to your property
6. If you’re going away, don’t make it known – keep it off social media
7. Don’t leave expensive items on display or insight
8. Don’t be afraid to ask your neighbours for help. Ask your close neighbours to move post, open blinds or switch lights on if you’re away. If you live alone, ask them to listen out for you
9. A ‘FakeTV’ is a powered box that is designed to mimic the lights of a TV. This can last up to 7 hours at a time
10. The most obvious – a home alarm! Yes, this will show when you’re not in, but it will alarm the street should the worst happen

 

Always be cautious about what private information you tell people. You may be surprised, but some burglaries are done by people who knew the person. If you’re telling people you’re going away, you’re more at risk. So just be careful of who you tell. Social media itself is a trap for this, as you could innocently post a holiday snap, but you’re telling everyone you’re not home and everything unoccupied. Unless of course, you have a house sitter or family member staying over, which is something East London Locks recommends.

Now You Know, What Will You Change?

Our tips are designed to prevent and reduce the risk of having your home burgled. We could never of course guarantee this, but by putting our tips in place you’re making it much harder for them. Motion lights are especially great and something we recommend as the closer they come to your property, the light will go off and usually scare them off. Once more, your burglar alarm will show your neighbours and the street if someone tries or even enters your property and in some cases, they can alert the police.

With this in mind, we hope these tips help you to protect your home, and also gives you peace of mind in knowing you’ve done your best to secure your home. If you would like to know more about home security and improving it, then please don’t hesitate to call East London Locks today.