While home security is a topic most of us would rather not dwell on, you should always seek to protect your house to the best of your abilities. Keeping your home secure is even more important during winter, when there are more hours of darkness for thieves to operate in. This doesn’t mean that you have to spend a load of money on high-tech CCTV systems, as many of the best things you can do to protect your home are inexpensive and easy to set up. Here are our tips on how you can protect your home over the winter months and beyond.
The most important thing to keep in mind when setting up your home security is to make sure you’re not the low-hanging fruit in your area. If you live in a neighbourhood where every home is equipped with state-of-art security systems other than yours, you’ll be singled out by would-be thieves as an easy target. However, if the majority of your neighbours don’t have a house alarm, installing one will make your home stick out to burglars as one to avoid. The amount of money you should spend on home security, then, depends on how much your neighbours are spending. This is one instance where keeping up with the Joneses pays off.
No matter what level of home security you’re planning to install, it’s important to start with the basics. Make sure to lock all of your exterior doors every time you leave your home, as well as shut and lock your windows. While this may sound obvious, it’s unexpectedly common for burglars to gain access to a house simply from an unlocked door or an open ground-floor window.
Garden sheds are common targets for thieves, as they are often incredibly easy to break in to, despite frequently being used to store expensive equipment such as lawnmowers and bicycles. If you do keep anything of value in your shed, make sure to secure the door with a heavy-duty lock, such as this one from B&Q. This will prevent potential thieves from simply cutting it loose with bolt cutters.
Throughout the winter it’s a great idea to use a plug-in timer, such as this one from ClasOhlson, alongside a lamp to ensure your home is lit whenever it is dark. You can use the BBC Weather app, which you can download for free on iTunes and GooglePlayto see when the sun is going to set, and then set your timer accordingly. This will make it look like the house is occupied, deterring would-be burglars.
A house alarm offers an extra level of security, and can be well worth the expense in areas with a high rate of burglaries. Evander provides a range of security options which they installand maintain that you can browse on their online store. If the majority of your neighbours have house alarms, it’s a good idea to join them, as you don’t want your home to be an easy target.
To take your home security to the next level, install motion-sensitive lighting at the front and back of your house. Being illuminated by a security light, such as thisone from John Lewis, is enough to discourage all but the most determined of burglars, making it an incredibly effective deterrent.
Put all these measures in to place and your home will be an incredibly unattractive prospect for thieves. This will allow you to relax in the knowledge that your belongings and loved ones are safe throughout winter and beyond.