The Best Ways of Securing Your Home

Home security is a priority for every household, especially when vacating the home to go to work or on holidays.

Ultimately, you want to know that your family is protected when in the home and that your valuables and possessions are protected when you’re not there.

There are many ways to secure your home, with various locks available for doors, windows and gates.

If you’ve recently moved into a new home, your first point of call should be to look into getting the locks changed. Afterall, you’re not familiar with the previous owners and there will have been copies of your current house keys made throughout the years for various people, most of which probably won’t have been handed over. So, to be on the safe side, changing the locks will provide you peace of mind in your new place.

A great starting point is to check over your locks. Thoroughly test each window and door. Ensure that they all close correctly, don’t jam and that the locks work as they should.

If you have wooden doors, it’s worth bearing in mind that rainy and cold weather these can cause these to swell, shifting their alignment with the locks. In situations like this, it isn’t always easy to revert the alignment back to what it was before, looking into a new lock or even a new door with a new locking system would be your best option.

When checking your windows, observe them from the outside as well as the inside to ensure they are secure and not damaged on that side either. Often some windows, such as sash style windows, can be opened from the outside when the lock is not fitted correctly or has been damaged.

When looking at your door locks, there are easy signs available to help you discover whether you may require a new locking system. These include:

• If your handle makes a noise when used, most commonly a grinding sound.
• The lock is visibly displaying damage, this could be due to excessive use or genuine age of the lock.
• Your handle has a slight droop to it.

All of these are key signals that a new lock is due.

Securing your home isn’t all about the locking system however, you will also need to look at your letterbox.

Crafty thieves will often slide their hands into a letterbox to find house keys that are left hanging in the door lock. An easy win for a thief, yet an even easier change for us.

Finally, a more recently popular addition to protect you and the valuables in your home is lighting and cameras.

Lighting is an instant deterrent for many thieves, opting for darker environments to decrease their chances of getting caught, as well as the likelihood that if the lights are on, then someone is most probably home. Using lighting in your outdoor areas – in addition to inside your home – such as the front door, the back door and in the garden can easily discourage any unwanted guests.

Security cameras are also ideal for putting people off, just the sight of them can turn someone away. Yet, if anything was to happen to your home, you can rest assure that you’ll have footage to hand over for legal activity.

There are copious security lighting and cameras available for homes nowadays, with technology companies continuously evolving and updating their security features. The most common available choices are the classic security cameras or a doorbell that encompasses a camera with motion detectors.

Many of these new pieces can be linked to your phone, so, if you are worried during the night or when you’re out of the country, you can easily check in on your house wherever you may be. Alerts can also be set up, notifying you if someone is within close proximity of your property. We understand how important it is to keep your home safe, which is why we offer a 24-hour service, 7 days a week. Whether you’ve misplaced your keys, or you’d like to add another layer of security, give us a call on 01603 409181 and let’s talk about how we can assist you.