Every homeowner needs to take active steps to maintain home security. Sadly. burglaries are all too common, as are fires and floods. Read on to learn how you can keep your home and loved ones safe from these threats.

Do you keep your dog outdoors when you go out? He or she is actually a great place to store your spare key. Attach the key inside their collar and make sure it can’t be seen. If your dog does not like strangers, this can help ensure consistent access to the house.

Your home should looked occupied all the time. Timers can be used to turn lights and televisions on and off when required. This makes people think you’re home. This is just one of the many precautions you can take to secure your home.

Security systems are more than just an alarm. Many systems can be used to go off whenever anyone enters your home. Parents of children can track their kids this way.

When in the process of purchasing a home-security system, be sure to comparison shop. Most companies have different price schemes for the the same general level of protection. Make sure you get quotes from at least three companies before you decide on which one you think is the best option.

Only provide your house cleaner with a key if you trust him or her implicitly. If they need the keys and plan on being in there for more than an hour, try to ensure that they are honest, hardworking, and reputable. It is best to do a reference check on them. If they work for a firm, call the local Better Business Bureau to find out that firm’s reputation.

Fire Resistant

Get roofing, flooring and ceilings that are fire resistant. Having your home built with fire resistant materials will help safeguard your home in case it catches fire. Because of the amount of damage fires can cause, it is important to protect your home from them.

Home security systems aren’t just about sounding alarms. The majority of systems will give an audible alert when someone enters the house. For families with young children, this is excellent for alerting when a child has entered or left the house.

Don’t post online when you’ll be away from your home. While these platforms are there for sharing, this is announcing to the world that your home is an open target.

Don’t allow anyone you don’t know to look into your house. Even if the person has a compelling story, needs help or has something to sell, they should not be given access. Some people want to enter your home just to see if there is a security system in place. They may be scoping the place to come back when you’re gone.

Your friends may have some great advice for choosing the right company. They have likely had interactions with home security providers that they can tell you about, saving you time and stress. Ask around so that you can have the advice that you need to make a good choice.

Check with the police department in your town for home security tips and advice. The police can offer you some great advice, help you engrave valuables and even come check out your home. Call and see what is available.

Use your garage for your car, not just storage. Protect your car from vandals by keeping it in the garage. Keeping your car out of sight is also good for thwarting burglars’ attempts to determine when you are likely to be away from home.

Turn off your phone’s ringer when you go on vacation. A burglar might hear your phone ring and ring and ring, then realize that you are not home to answer it.

It is important that you check your home security system periodically, at least once a year. Ask the security company to send a technician out to give your system a thorough inspection. Many factors cause issues with security systems like nature and wild animals. You may not know there’s an issue if you can’t see it.

Use exterior lights that have motion sensors. Lights like these will automatically turn on whenever someone is near them. Then you will know someone is present, and if the person is a burglar, he or she will be very likely to turn around and leave. Don’t forget to replace the bulbs when they burn out.

Never allow str4angers to enter your house. Even if their story is compelling, they need assistance or want to sell you something. Some people just want to know if there is a security system so they can plan on coming back later or not.

Lock your home at all times to err on the side of caution. Most real-world burglars aren’t master lock-breakers; they simply stroll in through a door left carelessly unlocked. It can be a quick job for a burglar to steal items of great value.

You want all wires of an installed security system to be hidden. You do not want the wires exposed for easy manipulation. Instead, make sure the wires are hidden. Your system will be far more effective this way.

If you have a stranger at your door, do not open it. Criminals find ways to get people to open doors so they can commit crimes. Therefore, only allow people you know and are expecting to enter your home.

Change all of the locks in your new residence. Regardless of how trustworthy you consider the last owners to be, neither you nor they can be sure that there aren’t others out there with keys to those locks. Aside from that, other people lived in the home even before the ones from whom you purchased the home.

Many things can affect the safety of your home, and it’s important that you consider many different things. This article has many ways to protect the home from nearly every threat. Give all of them a try in order to make your home as safe as it can be.

If you have a garage, increase your home security by using it to house your car, rather than just for storage. Keeping your car inside will deter thieves from stealing or vandalizing it. Hiding the car from plain sight can keep possible intruders from figuring out when you’re home and also when you are not.