How to Increase Your Home Security

Prevent your home from being robbed. Increase your home's security without spending anything.

1. Think like a burglar. Pretend to be a burglar yourself, and try to think of ways to break into your own home. Study your home and observe any weaknesses in its security.
2. Lock your doors. Even if you may have grown up in a place where it was okay to leave your door unlocked, the world is different now.
3. Lock the windows. Ground level windows and sliding doors are easy to open from the outside. A slightly more motivated thief will check.
4. Lock the balcony door. Never leave the balcony door unlocked at night or when going out. Balconies could provide easy access to burglars.
5. Lock garage doors. Garage doors provide access into your home, so treat them as any other door; make sure they are locked properly, as well as the door that leads from the garage room into your house.
6. New home, new locks. When moving into a new residence, change all locks as you never know who has a copy of your key.
7. Leave the lights, TV, and stereo on. When you go out, leave a light on in any room in the house or invest in a light timer to automatically turn on lights at whatever time you want. Let the thief hesitate about breaking in.
8. Don't leave notes on the door. For example: "Hi delivery company, I won't be home all day just leave my packages on the back porch." To a robber, that says, "Hi robber, I'm not home for the day so you can rob my house." Not only will a thief look on your porch, he'll also know definitively that you won't be home for the day.
9. Close drapes. Keep drapes closed in rooms with expensive equipment that could give burglars a peek into your home.
10. Report strange things to the police. If you see a strange car driving through the neighborhood several times a day, report it! If someone is sitting in their car parked on your street for a long time, report it! A moving van at your neighbors house with no for sale sign, report it!
11. Install security lighting to your yard. It is harder for a thief to break in if there are lights placed at entry points to your house.
12. Get an alarm system. If a burglar managed to break into your house, an alarm system could deter him from proceeding.
13. Change your lock if you ever lose your key. Someone else might have picked it up.
14. Make sure your hedges are trimmed below the level of the window sill.
15. Get a dog. A dog bark can serve as a warning and attract attention, something burglars try to avoid.
16. Never leave a spare key. It is not recommended to leave a spare key left anywhere around your home, especially in obvious places such as under the welcome mat.
17. Get safety bars on windows. Especially if your home is located in a bad area. These will prevent burglars from breaking in through the windows.
18. Get a safe. A safe can help protect not only valuables but also important paperwork, cheque books, bank statements and financial records.