Your home should always feel safe for the sake of you and your family. It should be a safe place for them to return to after going out. Reading the following piece and gaining knowledge is the ideal way to protect your home.

Does your dog like to play in your yard? They can help you with your spare key. You can attach your key to your dog’s collar in order to keep the key hidden. This works especially well as storage if your pet isn’t too fond of strangers.

Always change the locks after moving into a new home. You don’t know who might have a key. You want to be sure that you’re the only one with a key. Do the same thing if you happen to misplace a key.

Be sure your roof, floors, and ceiling are fire resistant. Your home will get added protection, especially if your environment is dry and has power lines. Avoiding fire hazards is a great way to keep things safe.

Home security systems are able to do more than just sounding the alarm whenever you have an intruder. Many can be set for sounding their alarm if anyone enters. This is a good way to keep track of where your young children are.

When you’re going away, turn off your phone ringers. A ringing phone that goes unanswered may signal to a burglar that nobody is home.

If there are folks you don’t know or trust in your social network online, don’t let them know you are going away. This can indicate that your home will be free and vulnerable during the time.

Rid the outside of your home from dead wood, vegetation and overgrowth during the summertime. These can pose a fire hazard due to heat and storms with lightning. Clear yard regularly to maintain your house safe.

If you’ve got a garage, make sure to use it for your car rather than extra storage space. Keeping the car in the garage can keep thieves from vandalizing or stealing 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.

Put motion sensor lights around your house. They turn on only if someone is nearby. 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. Be sure to keep these lights working, though.

Security System

If you reside in a small town or rural area, then you might not be as worried about someone breaking into your home as city dwellers may be. There are some who believe country folk are more at risk because neighbors are not nearby. Some people, though, believe that you will not be at risk for a burglary.

There’s no security system so durable that it can go without regular maintenance and inspections. Have yours checked out once a year. This is a job for professionals; get a security firm to inspect your equipment. Wild animals or plain old nature can wreak havoc on your home security system. If the problem isn’t visible, you may be unaware of it.

Even if you’re not going to be gone long, keep your home locked. It may shock you to know this, but a lot of intruders get inside homes through open doors. A thief can steal lots of stuff in a little amount of time.

An extremely important tactic for keeping your home safe is changing out the locks. Maybe you’ve had a roommate leave or a bitter ex-lover, so changing the locks can keep you safer. You can change the locks in a single day, and the hardware is not very costly.

Are you aware of the value contained in your home’s wiring? Many folks are not aware of this until a thief steals it. Wiring can be removed from the outside of a home in a heartbeat. Be sure to keep your wiring hidden or difficult to reach.

Walls make the perfect hiding spot. You should think about hiding certain small valuables within your walls. You could use a phone jack, electrical outlet or a switch plate. You can also just put in a false plate to cover a hiding place.

If your home isn’t new, replace the locks. Even though the previous tenant may have turned in their key, you never know if they have a copy. You can even buy and install the locks yourself so you know that you are the only one with a key.

You want all wires of an installed security system to be hidden. Intruders can get around security systems and into a home by cutting the wires. Do not make entry into your home easy. Make sure the wires are not exposed either inside or outside your home. This will make you much safer.

Before allowing someone into your house, be sure to carefully check their references. Do not hesitate to hire someone to run a background check if you have doubts. Avoid giving keys out to contractors, maids and repairmen.

Plug a rechargeable flashlight into an outlet in each room of your house in the event of power outage. They will help you get around in case your entire home is dark. Be sure everyone in your family is aware of the location of emergency flashlights.

If you’re hiring a company for home security, be sure to read any fine print before you sign that contract. You need to find out about hidden costs, such as cancellation fees in case you want to cancel your contract before it expires. Avoid as many fees as you can by reading everything.

If you move to a place that was occupied before, you should change the locks right away. The person who used to live there may still have a key. You can do your own installation to make sure that no one else has a key.

Get a custom-designed plan that fits your needs by having the security company do a site visit in your home. Every house and every family will produce a unique set of security concerns that are best addressed with tailor-made security arrangements. If you find a company that will tailor the plan you choose to your needs, you can get the highest level of security that makes you feel comfortable.

When allowing a representative from any security company to enter your home, look for someone in uniform and ask to see an identification. Thieves can pass themselves as workers, which can end up in a robbery of your home. This is dangerous for your family and your possessions. Act cautiously in order to stay away from potential dangers.

One effective home security trick you can use is by installing outdoor motion sensor lights. Criminals like to blend into the shadows, so do your best not to provide too many for them. Be sure all vulnerable exterior areas of your home are equipped with good lighting. This means by the garage, in the doorways, around windows and much more.

Keep safety at the forefront when landscaping your property. All of your windows and doors should be unobstructed by plants, shrubs, trees or fences. If criminals know you can see them, they are less likely to break in. This should be planned in advance for your safety.

Don’t give anyone an opportunity to see inside your garage in order to ward off robbers. Frost your windows with film bought at a hardware store. Do not leave doors open for lengthy periods while you are doing work.

When it comes to expert advice, you now have a plethora of choices at your disposal. Now you have only to decide which steps you wish to take for your own home protection. Keep researching the ever changing topic of home protection so that you can always stay on top of security issues in and around your home.

See if your security firm offers a variety of contract lengths. There are usually pros and cons in each contract. The longer the contract, the lower your monthly bill, but if you move or become dissatisfied, you are stuck with the monthly fee. With a shorter contract, you will have a greater level of flexibility. The downside is you will also have larger monthly bills.