Misfortune may strike at any time. Don’t neglect the safety of your home, yourself and your family. Read on for great tips to make your home safer and to keep criminals from targeting you.

Do you keep your dog outside when you aren’t home? This pet may be an excellent storing spot for your spare key. The key can be attached to the collar of your dog. This will ensure that burglars cannot see it. This works very well if you have a pet that is not very fond of strangers. You will get the access you need without having to worry about your safety.

Place the spare key that you make on your dog. But, this is only effective if your home has a pet door or your dog stays outdoors when you are not home. You can attach a copy of your key to the dog’s collar, so when you need that spare, you’ve got one handy!

Don’t talk about your vacations on social media. There may be a thief within this list and you would have been inviting him straight through your front door!

Good home security systems sound a loud alarm when breached, and that’s not all. They can actually be set to chime whenever a monitored door is opened. This is important to parents who have small children, because they will want to know if the children have opened a door.

Turn off your phone’s ringer when you go on vacation. When burglars hear phones ringing for an extended period of time in a home, they know that there is no one there to answer.

Spare Key

It is always best to not let people in that just show up out of the blue. Even people who claim to need help may be out to harm you. It’s quite possible that your charming guest is only interested in evaluating the security of your home; if they find it lacking, they may be back later to relieve you of some of your possessions.

Think very carefully about where to hide your spare key. Never put a spare key under a doormat or above a door jam. Rather, think about putting a key on your outside dog’s collar.

Secure your garage. People often worry about people getting in through attached garages, but you have a solution. A C-clamp placed on the garage door track will stop it from opening when you don’t want it to.

Don’t open your door when strangers are knocking. People try many ways to convince others to open up their doors so that they can commit burglary or worse. Create the rule that you just open a door to people that you expect to arrive.

Remove old plants and debris from your yard. As it gets hotter, the chances of these igniting and putting your house at risk increase. You can prevent disasters by keeping your yard clean.

Talk to your local police department about what they offer. They often offer home inspections, seminars and even the ability to purchase items. Discuss the possibility of this sort of program with your police department.

The first thing to do is get your locks changed out. Maybe you had a roommate move out or have a disgruntled ex-lover, changing the locks is the best way to keep yourself safe. Changing locks is not very expensive and should be done within a few hours.

Don’t just consider alarming your doors when you’re considering an alarm system. Burglars can gain entry through your windows as well. Get an alarm that will trigger if either the doors or windows are opened. This is the pinnacle of safety.

If you’re in a rural place, you might not be as worried about break-ins as those that are in the city. There are some who believe country folk are more at risk because neighbors are not nearby. Others feel rural residents have a lower risk of being burglarized.

If you bought any big or expensive things, wait until trash day to throw away the boxes. Having these type of boxes hanging around will give robbers a good idea of what type of merchandise you have inside of your home.

Walls make the perfect hiding spot. If you own smaller things that need protection, think about keeping them hidden in the walls. Just take advantage of the phone jack, electrical outlet or unused switch plate. Anything not used currently makes a good spot for hiding.

Before letting a home security representative inside, ask for identification. Thieves can pass themselves as workers, which can end up in a robbery of your home. This can be risky for you and your belongings. Be very careful with who you let into your home.

A good home security system monitors all entry points to your home. Windows are all potential entry points for burglars. Make sure you have a monitored alarm on every one of them. This is just one more thing you can do to protect your home.

One of the best things you can do to protect your home at night is to deter intruders with plenty of exterior lighting. They wish to avoid detection. By minimizing dark and shady areas, you are taking away a potential burglar’s hiding spots. Keep lights on in the evening for a safer home.

Any time you let a stranger into your home that is doing some kind of work, it is best to ask for references. Don’t be afraid of conducting background checks to determine if they have a criminal history. You can never be certain if the contractor, repairman, maid, etc. that you hire to do services in your home is honest. If you let these people in without knowing anything about them, you could experience significant losses.

You can find an excellent home security company with a simple Internet search. Review different websites and review comments from previous customers. You’ll find it easy to narrow your choice down to three top contenders; your next step is to arrange to meet each of them to discuss your specific security needs.

If you are searching for ways to make your home more secure, one inexpensive way to accomplish this is to purchase exterior lights that have motion detectors. In the evening, lights will help keep your home safe, and will add little in the way of extra expense. If positioned correctly on the exterior of your home, the motion detectors make it virtually impossible for an intruder to sneak onto your property.

When you are away on vacation have a house sitter bring in your mail and any flyers and newspapers that accumulate in front of your house. Sometimes burglars leave fliers in an attempt to see if anyone is home to remove them. By your neighbor taking the flyer, it appears as if you got it yourself.

Ask the home security company about how long they’ve been running prior to signing up. Many years of service bode well for the company’s performance. You can feel confident when you choose a well established, reputable home security company.

Whenever you purchase some expensive item, don’t place the empty boxes right outside your home. If a burglar sees your empty box, he or she will know that valuable item is inside your house. That’s good motivation for a break-in. Break down the box, and take it to the local recycling center.

Keep the outside areas of your home well lit. Criminals love darkness to help mask their crimes. So it’s smart to put a light in typically darker corners around your home. This extends to doorways, porches, garages and lower windows.

It is very hard to predict criminal activities, so you never know when your home has become a target. Rather than hoping this will not be a problem for you, make your home safer. Keep these tips in mind, and continue to research ways to keep your home and family protected.

Don’t make an obvious or easy password for your numeric keypad lock. It is easy for anybody to learn your birthday, which makes it easy for them to access the house. Choose a math equation and make the answer your code, and make sure to keep the equation in mind.