It is a horrible feeling to return to your home only to find it has been burglarized with your valuables gone and your home in tatters as the thieves ransacked your place while looking for things to steal. It can leave you feeling violated quite frankly and you may never feel “safe” in that home you loved before the thieves stole that from you as well as your things.

There are things you can do to help make your home more secure and lower your risk of thieves picking your home as their next score. Burglary for the most part is a crime of opportunity that utilizes careless mistakes by the homeowner against them. Here are some easy things to do when you leave home whether to just “run out” or for an extended period of time:

Make sure all exterior doors are solid core and at least 1 3/4 thickness

Make sure you have GOOD deadbolts on all exterior doors including garage, they should have a min. throw of 1 inch and the strike plate should have screws that are at least 3 inches long; remember doorknob locks are a joke

Sliding glass doors are a very common entry point – they have locks for the slide tracks that stop the door from sliding BUT if your door lifts up you can defeat these locks-You can use a few screws in the top frame sticking out so that the door just misses it as it slides but won’t allow it to lift up

low level windows such as basement windows should be sealed using bars that conform to the fire code. Windows can be sealed shut using self tapping bolts and wingnuts for easy removal from the inside

Install motion detector lights outside – stealth is a thief’s friend, take that away from him.

Keep bushes near windows and doors trimmed as to not allow someone to easily hide behind them

Keep doors leading from garage into the house dead bolted when gone so if thieves get in through your garage door they have another hurdle to deal with

Pet doors, attic windows, crawl spaces, ventilation windows, and other openings should also be secured.

If using a window mounted air conditioner make sure it is secured as such it can’t be easily removed from the outside.

Trim trees so that limbs don’t provide an easy means of getting on your roof or to a second story, or of getting over a wall or fence.

Keep all your doors and windows locked, even if you are just going out “for just a minute.” Don’t leave windows open for ventilation when you are gone instead use a fan to keep the air moving until you get home and can open the windows.

Don’t leave notes on your door when you are away from home.

Don’t leave keys in mailboxes or planters, under doormats, or in other obvious hiding spots. Leave an extra key with a neighbor or family member.

Sounds funny but there are some very good electronic dog alarms out there now – they detect people near doors and windows and then using a realistic bark scares off intruders

Use timers on your lights, radios, TVs, etc. to make them go on and off during the day and night to make your home appear occupied and if you can afford a timer with multiple settings get one and then have things go on and off at different times on each day so there is no “pattern”.

Disconnect your electric garage door opener and padlock the door, preferably from the inside if you are going to be away for a while.

stop mail and newspaper delivery, or have neighbor pick up anything left at the home.

Keep curtains/blinds closed – don’t tempt crooks but showing off your neat stuff to the world through the windows.

These are just a few things you can quickly do to secure your home for when you are away. There are many more things you can do and we will cover them throughout this series or articles. Even if you read this and think you knew them all already it at least got you thinking about your home’s security which is exactly what this article series is all about. The more aware you are of your home’s security the safer you will remain. Good luck and be safe!

End – for now

This entry was posted on Friday, April 6th, 2007 at 4:25 pm and is filed under Home Security | . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.