Dangerous people and their actions often strike us when we are least prepared. Don’t ever assume bad things can’t happen to you or your family. Continue reading this article to help you keep your home safe from those criminals.

Only allow maids and cleaning services to have a key to the house if they are known to be trustworthy. You should not let cleaners have your keys if you feel like you cannot trust them, or if they will be working in your home while you are away. It is best to do a reference check on them. If you are using a cleaning firm, make sure it has an excellent Better Business Bureau rating.

Make your house look occupied all the time. Buy timers so that lights, radios, TVs and all other electronics turn on and off at various times. This way, it will appear that you are at home. This will help safeguard your house to the best of your ability.

Buy a safe and use it to hold all of the valuables in your home. This is important, since you don’t want your valuables exposed to a potential intruder. Keep the safe hidden somewhere remote.

Buy a safe. This is important, since you don’t want your valuables exposed to a potential intruder. Hide your safe in a hard to find place like the basement or attic.

Buy fire resistant roofing, flooring and ceiling materials. This helps protect your home when you dwell in a more dry climate. Fire is such a destructive force that it makes excellent sense to reduce fire hazards in your home whenever possible.

Be smart about where you decide to hide spare keys. Never put a spare key under a doormat or above a door jam. One idea is to hide your key inside the collar of your outdoor dog.

Do not tell anyone that you are going on vacation out of your friend circle. It’s great to see new places and take a lot of photos, but posting them while still overseas lets thieves know your home is empty.

Avoid opening the door if you don’t know who is standing on the other side. You never know who they might be, despite their story. Make it a rule in your home that you only open your door to people who you were expecting.

Don’t let people into your house that you don’t know. Remember that intruders have a lot of experience with tricking people. This person might just be casing the joint to see if there is home security equipment.

Take advantage of any and all security resources your local police force makes available to homeowners. Many have quite a few helpful programs that you take, like on self-defense or other things related to your home. Ask your police department to see if these types of programs are available.

Be sure to keep your car in your garage rather than filling your garage with stored belongings. In this way, your car will be safer. This will keep thieves from stealing it or harming it. When it is in hiding, people won’t know if you’re home.

When it comes to securing your home, start by changing your locks. If you have boarders, former live-in partners, or others who once had access to your home, this is especially important. It’s generally cheap can can take less than a day to do.

No matter how good your security system is, it should be checked annually. Call the company and have them send someone to check it out. There are any number of problems that can cause malfunctions in your security system, from weather damage to animal activity. It’s quite possible for there to be a fault in your system even if you can’t see it.

If you’re in a rural place, you might not be as worried about break-ins as those that are in the city. Some think residents of the country are even more vulnerable because there are no close neighbors. Then again, others think rural areas are not as much of a target.

Don’t forget skylights when doing a security sweep for your home. While they are nice and help with lighting, they also provide the burglars help with access to your home. Fix your skylights so they cannot be accessed as an entry point by intruders.

Always lock your home when you leave it, no matter how soon you plan to return. Surprisingly, lots of burglaries occur because the burglar was able to simply walk in without having to actually break in. A thief can take plenty of valuables in minutes.

When you choose an alarm system, pick one that offers protection that goes beyond the doors. Your windows are also points of entry for burglars. Make sure you have a monitored alarm on every one of them. With this method, your family will be safer.

Door Frame

Equipping each room in your house with a reliable flashlight (charged with good batteries, of course!) is an excellent safety investment. Having a well-charged flashlight on hand is very beneficial in case of emergency. Show your children how to use them so everyone in the family is involved.

Replace rotten wood on your door frame. If a person wants to enter your home, rotted wood can easily be pried away. Replace the rotting door frame with a new one and keep your home much safer.

Your first priority when you move to an apartment or house where others have lived in before is to replace all the locks. Although other tenants might not have a key anymore, they could have copied it. You can do your own installation to make sure that no one else has a key.

Predicting what intruders will do is hard, which is why it is best to protect yourself against many possibilities. Take the necessary steps to keep your home safe instead of thinking you have it made. Keep these tips in mind, and continue to research ways to keep your home and family protected.

Check someone’s references carefully before letting them come into your home. Check if they have any history of criminal activity. You can never be too sure about anyone you hire to enter your home, and giving them access can work against you.