If you’re a female who is living alone, home security is likely very important to you. Rather than living in fear, you can take simple measures in order to improve your security. Read this article to find out more about home security.

Make sure that you change the locks once you’ve taken possession of the house. Many people may have been given keys by the former owner. To make sure your home can only be accessed by you, enlist the help of a locksmith. You should also have your locks changed if you lose your keys.

When you buy a new home, be sure to have the locks changed. The previous owners or tenants might have made several copies of the key. To make sure you have the only access to the home, hire a locksmith. If you lose keys, make sure to do this, too.

Keep your jewelry, vital documents and other expensive items in a safe. This will keep your stash of diamonds, gold and other valuable items out of view and inaccessible to burglars. The safe should be situated in an inconspicuous area of your home.

You should invest in fire-resistant roofing, flooring and ceiling. This give your home an extra protection layer. Fire prevention is always a good idea, and sometimes it can be a lifesaving idea!

Hiding places for spare keys must be chosen with extreme care and caution. Above doors or under doormats are much too common to hide them and potential criminals will check them first. Instead, try hiding a key on the collar of an outside dog.

Make sure the ringer on any phones in your home is turned off when you leave for vacation. This is because a phone that is ringing and ringing can tip of a burglar that nobody is currently home.

Do not tell anyone that you are going on vacation out of your friend circle. While it is exciting to go to a new place and have a good time, you are letting thieves know that your house will be empty and they can come right in.

If you own a garage, be sure to use it to place your car, as opposed to using it as a storage. Protect your car from vandals by keeping it in the garage. Hiding your car from plain view will also keep potential intruders from tracking when you are home and when you aren’t.

You should clean your yard of vegetation and dead wood. They are a potential fire hazard during warmer months. Keep your yard clear so it is a safe area.

Security System

Store your car in the garage if you have it. This will keep thieves from stealing it or harming it. Keeping your car out of sight is also good for thwarting burglars’ attempts to determine when you are likely to be away from home.

Regardless of the quality of your home security system, you need to check it annually. Ask someone who works at the security company to do a maintenance check. There are many reason why a home security system can have problems, and it might be the weather or wild animals that cause it to malfunction. You might be unaware of problems that arise in some cases.

Be bold. Engage your neighbors in conversation. Keep watch of their homes when they are away, and ask if they will return the favor. Pay attention to gossip. This might provide you with some valuable information, at times related to security, including information about potential strangers who you might not want near your home.

Go with your gut when you invite a home security company representative into your house. This is very true when you feel uneasy about the person installing the system. Ask the company to send a different installer or simply change companies. Remember that every aspect of your home security system should support you in feeling more secure.

Put motion-sensor lights into your home. These lights turn on if someone walks closely to your house. They help notify you of any movement around your house and deter burglars too. Get in the habit of checking and replacing the bulbs as necessary to ensure the lights remain effective.

Replace all the locks in your newly purchased home. Though you may not suspect that the seller is up to something, you still need to be careful. Many other people could have keys to the property, and you probably don’t want them to all have access to your home.

If you do not reside in a big city, you may not worry as much about home burglaries. On a different note, some people believe homeowners in more rural areas are more likely to experience robberies because of the lack of nearby neighbors. Others hold that burglars are not as likely to target rural areas.

Are you aware of the value contained in your home’s wiring? Many people do not realize this until a crook steals it off of their home. Copper wiring can easily be removed. Hide your wiring to secure it.

Walls are great for hiding things. You can hide small valuables inside the walls. You can use the opening provided by an electrical switch plate or other device that is not being used. Even if every single plate in your home is being used, you can purchase a fake one purpose-built for concealing valuables.

Security Company

Home security installation technicians should always be in uniform and wearing identification. Intruders could disguise themselves to inspect your home. Intruders could disguise themselves as home security representatives to inspect your current security system. Proceed with caution.

Make sure to ask for identification for any home security company representative. It is simple for a thief to pose as a representative of your home security company as a means of gaining access to your house. This puts your household and valuables at considerable risk. Act cautiously in order to stay away from potential dangers.

If you’re planning to be out of your home for a period of time, have a neighbor remove any fliers placed on your door. This is a way people who are casing out your house can tell whether you are home or not. A flier that hangs around for days on end lets burglars know that there’s no one in the home.

Whenever you are landscaping your home, you should consider safety. Do not obstruct doors and windows with plants or furniture. If they can be seen, there will be no place to hide. Put landscaping farther away from the house for greater safety.

Anytime you make a new electronics purchase, keep the boxes off the curb until the very last minute. Burglars will notice these boxes and know what kind of valuables you have. Break down the empty boxes whenever possible.

Inquire with your home security service as to how long they’ve been in business. Companies who have been around for years will show that they have what it takes to succeed. In addition, it proves that they provide people with reliable services they can depend on. It’s good to know that the company won’t disappear overnight and leave your home unprotected.

Inquire about various contract lengths which your security company might offer. These lengths can be both good and bad. Your bill may be lower with a long-term contract, but you could wind up paying for a service you’re not using if you decide to move. A shorter term allows for flexibility, but it might be expensive.

A wireless security system for your home is a great option. Systems that are wired are cheaper, but they need unattractive wiring inside your home and may malfunction when you have a power outage. A wireless system is easy to install, and will not become inoperable if your power goes out.

Do not use spring latch locks. These locks are easy to break into since they may be opened up with a credit card. The card is slid into the crevice between the latch and the door, pushing the latch back and springing the lock open. If your doors sport spring latch locks, add deadbolts to beef up security.

If someone looks after your house when you’re gone, have them remove fliers from the door. This is a way people who are casing out your house can tell whether you are home or not. If the flier is not moved, they know that the occupant is not around or on vacation.

Avoid storing car registration in your glove compartment. If someone breaks into your car, that person can view your registration and instantly know where you reside. Keep them on you, or another place to hide them. Make sure you can easily and quickly access them in the event that a police officer pulls you over.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to safeguard your home. Many easier, cheaper methods exist that can make a big difference. Keep this advice in mind as you strive to increase security around the home.

If you turn lights on and off around the same time, try using a timer. This helps the lights stay on and continue to switch even when you’re away from your home.