A safe home is the only place worth living in. You should not have to worry when you go on a vacation or leave your home for a few hours. This article can give you the information you need to make sure your home is secure.
Providing a key to the person cleaning your home can be acceptable, but you must be sure they are honest and worthy of your confidence. Make sure you know they are legitimate before giving out the key. Check the housekeeper’s references very carefully. If you are using a cleaning firm, make sure it has an excellent Better Business Bureau rating.
TIP! Only provide your house cleaner with a key if you trust him or her implicitly. If you do give out a key to such individuals, be certain you know their reputation for honesty.
When you buy a new house, change the locks. You have no way of knowing how many folks might have keys to your house. Hire a locksmith so that you can be sure you are the only person who can access your home. If you lose your keys, you should do the same thing.
If you retain a space key for when you get locked out, consider the place you hide it carefully. Intruders will think to look on the top if a door frame and under a doormat. A possible solution is to attach a key to your outdoor dog’s collar.
TIP! Don’t just hide your spare key anywhere. It is very common for homeowners to hide them under a mat or above the framing of their door, and intruders know this.
Do not give the key to your home to your cleaning person unless you are certain they are worthy of your trust. If they will be there over an hour and you are thinking of giving them your home key, be certain they are honest, reputable and hard-working. Check out their references thoroughly. If you hire a cleaner from a company, then you should check the company with the BBB.
Never allow str4angers to enter your house. No matter how innocent a person may seem or how interesting the product he or she may be offering, you must not allow access. Some will come to your door just to determine how secure it is, and they may return later if they think they can easily enter your home.
TIP! Don’t let people into your home unless you know them. Even if someone has a good story, requires help or has a great product to sell, ignore them.
Purchase a safe to lock all of the extremely valuable items in your home in one place. If a burglar enters your home, he or she will have a hard time making off with your possessions. Keep your safe in your basement or attic to make it hard to find.
If you have a stranger at your door, do not open it. You have no way of knowing if the stranger on the other side of the door wishes to do you harm. Create the rule that you just open a door to people that you expect to arrive.
TIP! Do not open your door for anyone you don’t know. Folks are always thinking up new schemes to get people to open the door so that they can commit their crimes.
When looking for a system to secure your home, do comparison shopping. Every company offers different pricing. Get at least 3 quotes from security system companies and compare features and services as well as monthly costs.
You should clean your yard of vegetation and dead wood. These are vulnerable to fires and put your home in danger. Always clear the yard to ensure safety.
TIP! Rid the outside of your home from dead wood, vegetation and overgrowth during the summertime. They pose a fire risk.
If you will be away from your house for an extended period of time, turn the ringers off for all your phones. If the phone rings without you there, burglars will suspect that you’re not home, and that can make your home a target for an attack while you’re gone.
Have lights that sense motion. The motion sensors turn on the lights whenever anyone approaches your home. These lights will not only let you know when someone gets too close, they will also stop potential burglars from breaking in. After all, burglars don’t want anyone to know they are there. Be sure to keep these lights working, though.
TIP! Motion-sensor lights can alert you of a robbery before it even happens. They will illuminate your property if they sense any movement near your home.
Don’t let strangers enter your home. Stay true to your safety, even if it appears the person has legitimate reasons for wanting entry. There are some people who will just come in to see if you have a home security system, and if you do not, they could come back later when you are not home.
Rural areas are just as prone to break-ins as cities. However, there is the belief that rural dwellers are more susceptible to break ins simply because there are no nearby neighbors. You need to do some research on the areas where you live to get an idea of how frequent break ins are.
TIP! Rural areas are just as prone to break-ins as cities. Others think that living in the country is more risky than other areas because houses are so far apart.
If you have a stranger at your door, do not open it. People are coming up with all sorts of ways to convince people to open their door to them, with the intent of committing burglary or worse. Keep a hard, fast rule that says you only open the door for invited guests in order to keep your family safe.
Use the space in walls to store your prized possessions. This does not mean that you should make alterations to your walls. Many places around your house have areas that are already pre-cut. Perhaps you could deactivate a few unused electrical sockets to use as a place to store stuff.
TIP! Use your wall spaces to hide your valuables. This does not mean that you should make alterations to your walls.
If you’re in a rural place, you might not be as worried about break-ins as those that are in the city. Nonetheless, people in the country may be at greater risk due to being far away from neighbors. You need to do some research on the areas where you live to get an idea of how frequent break ins are.
Be sure your valuables are not visible from the outside of your house. Large windows at the home’s front can be beautiful, but it can make it easier for criminals to see inside. If you’ve got street facing windows, be sure and keep them covered.
TIP! Be sure your expensive belongings are not visible from the home’s exterior. Large windows at the home’s front can be beautiful, but it can make it easier for criminals to see inside.
You can hide certain valuables within your walls. It is unnecessary cut space into your wall. There are lots of places around the home that have pre-cut areas that you can use. You could removed the wiring from an electric socket that you aren’t using, and stash jewelry inside it.
Regardless of how long you think you’ll be gone, make sure to lock your doors. Many burglaries happen because the intruders can just walk right inside. It won’t take long for thieves to steal lots of expensive valuables.
TIP! Lock up your house every time you leave. Most burglars gain entry to a home through an unlocked door.
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If you move into a home or apartment that has been previously lived in, the first thing you should do is change the locks. You do not want anyone to have a copy of the key. You might even purchase and install your own locks so that you are assured of having the only keys.
TIP! Your first priority when you move to an apartment or house where others have lived in before is to replace all the locks. Even if you’ve gotten a key from the previous owner or tenant, there could still be a lot of people out there who have keys to your home.
When allowing a representative from any security company to enter your home, look for someone in uniform and ask to see an identification. Intruders can easy pass themselves off as an employee of a security company just to get inside your house. This means peril for what you own as well as your loved ones. Be careful to avoid any potential dangers.
Before you let anyone go into your home, look at their references thoroughly. Perform a background check to learn about their criminal history, too. It is not a good idea to give anyone a key to your home, even contractors or repairmen.
TIP! Always ask for references before letting a contractor or a maid in your home. Perform a background check to learn about their criminal history, too.
Motion sensitive lights are an inexpensive way to increase your home’s security. These lights not only give off light at night, but can also offer security around your home. If placed strategically around the house, motion detectors can make it very tough for criminals to get to your property.
Having a bright and lit-up home at night deters crooks. They wish to avoid detection. When you have a well-lit home, crooks won’t be able to hide and it will be hard for them to break in undetected. Have lights that come on when they detect movement for best results.
TIP! Having light on in your home at night will scare crooks away. They do not desire to be seen.
Having a bright and lit-up home at night deters crooks. Burglars don’t want to be visible. Making your home’s exterior nice and bright will make it impossible for crooks to go undetected. Secure your property by creating a well-lit area.
Inquire into both purchase and lease options for your security system. Buying outright costs a lot more in the beginning, but one time costs might lower or eliminate some monthly fees that add up over time. Leasing may seem cheaper but might require contractual agreements and fees. It is worthwhile checking out both possibilities before you decide on which is best.
TIP! Ask the company if they offer systems for lease and sale. Buying equipment can be pricey upfront, but it’s a single cost versus a monthly cost.
Your home’s exterior needs to be well lit. Thieves like to commit crimes when no one can see. Put a light anywhere where an intruder can enter your home. This includes porches and doorways, the garage, as well as ground floor windows, which can invite an intruder.
Avoid storing car registration in your glove compartment. This isn’t smart since anybody who gets them is going to know your address. Instead, keep the registration in your wallet or a lock box in the trunk. Your papers should be easy to access in case a police officer pulls you over.
TIP! The glove compartment is bad place to store important documents like your car’s registration. It is not smart, because anyone can know your address.
A wireless security system could be a good option. A wired system might cost less, but they can require extensive rewiring work and may be rendered useless if the power fails. A wireless system, on the other hand, requires less maintenance and is simpler to install.
If you must hide your key outside, do not put it someplace obvious. A very obvious location is underneath fake rocks. The first place an intruder will likely look is under the doormat. It is probably best to find someone you trust to hold a key for you. If you can’t do that, you must think creatively to find a good place to keep a spare key.
TIP! Choose an out of the way place to hide your spare key, not the obvious ones. Everybody knows about fake rocks.
You now have expert advice at your disposal. How will you put it to use within your own home? Use some of the ideas shown here and continue to educate yourself on the options available to you so that you find the right system to meet your needs.
Do not make a number-code password your birthday or other obvious number. Your birthday is easy to obtain, and you don’t want your house to be easily accessible. Make it a random number that you and your family can commit to memory.
TIP! You should never use your birthday as the password for your numeric keypad. Anyone can find your birth date in your mail or on your social networks and can then access your home.