5 Simple Steps That You Can Take To Make Your Home Less Attractive To Burglars

Let’s face it our home
is our castle, it’s also the place where most of us feel…well…at
home. So why would we make it easy for burglars and criminals to
enter our property and take our belongings. Clearly you don’t have to
dig a moat around your perimeter and install a couple of GPMG’s on
the roof to keep the bad guys at bay. However there are some simple
steps that you can take to secure your home that won’t cost you the
earth. Let’s take a look.

Step 1 – Don’t
appear to have anything valuable

If you don’t want to be
the victim of a burglary then the simple answer is don’t have
anything valuable to steal. Okay let’s rephrase that – What I
really mean is don’t ‘appear’ to have anything worth stealing.
Or at least if you do, don’t put it on show. If you are fortunate
enough to own the latest super-duper sound system or giant screen TV,
don’t make it visible from the front room window for all passers-by
to see. Likewise if you own a better than average vehicle, try to
lock it safely in your garage. Don’t leave it sitting there on the
drive.

Step 2 – Look like
you care about security

Even if you don’t have
the latest CCTV camera and security alarms fitted at your home
there’s nothing wrong with warning any potential wrong-doers that
your property is being monitored, by placing up signs to reflect
this. After all, they don’t have to know that you’re home isn’t wired
up like Fort Knox.

Step 3 – Keep your
front area well maintained

Okay so it’s nice to
have a well maintained front lawn and drive area as it adds kerb
appeal. However it also acts as a deterrent for any opportune thief.
Criminals don’t want to get caught and this means they don’t want to
be seen doing something they shouldn’t (eg, breaking into your home.)
Therefore by keeping trees and bushes trimmed around entrance areas,
it makes it very difficult for burglars to conceal themselves.

Step 4 – Get in
with the neighbours

I’m sure that unless
you live in a remote area, you have neighbours who are pretty much
around most of the day when you’re not. Why not ask them if they
would mind keeping a watch out for your property when you’re at work
or go away for weekends etc. Some people will love the responsibility
and you can always return the favour too.

Step 5 – Light up

If your property has
any shady areas where burglars can conceal themselves, why not invest
in some solar lighting to brighten those areas up. In addition, good
exterior lighting placed on a timer or a motion-sensor floodlight is
also a great deterrent for any criminal looking for easy-pickings.