Home security is something everyone needs but few people have an efficient plan. In order to learn all you can about protecting your home, it is important that you do some research on the matter. Keep reading to gain the insight necessary to establish a winning security plan for your home.

Change the locks after buying a new house. You have no clue how many people were given keys by the former owner. To make sure you have the only access to the home, hire a locksmith. In addition, replace your locks if your keys ever get lost.

Place your spare key securely on your dog’s collar. This only makes sense if your dog is outdoors a lot or you have a pet door. Place the alternative key on your dog’s collar in case of an emergency.

Buy a safe. You need this because you would not want burglars to see these valuable items around in your house. Hide your safe in a place that is hard to get to, like a basement closet or an attic.

Only allow maids and cleaning services to have a key to the house if they are known to be trustworthy. If you do give out a key to such individuals, be certain you know their reputation for honesty. Check their references very carefully. If the person is an employee of a firm, call your local BBB to check their reputation.

If you want to have a spare key hidden outside of your home, hide it carefully. Avoid cliched hiding places like over the door frame or beneath the doormat. Experienced criminals will check these places immediately. Instead, try hiding a key on the collar of an outside dog.

Turn the ringers off on all your phones if you will be away for a prolonged period of time. A phone which rings forever is a sign to burglars that you’re not there.

Is your ceiling resistant to fire? What about your flooring or roofing? This can provide additional safety to the home, particularly in dry regions. Preventing a fire hazard is one of the safest precautions that you can take due to the level of destruction that it can cause.

Home protection program details may be available at your police station. There are many that offer programs that include items, such as home inspection, how to use engraving tools to mark code numbers to identify valuables if yours are stolen, and protective measures advice. Ask your police department to see if these types of programs are available.

If you have a stranger at your door, do not open it. Nowadays, thieves are creative when thinking of ways to get homeowners to open a door and let them in. Make it mandatory that doors in your home are only opened for expected visitors.

Security System

Don’t overlook your garage as a potential access point for thieves. Many people worry about burglars getting into their attached garage and then entering their home, but there is a fix. You can use a C-clamp to stop the door from being opened.

It is important that you check your home security system periodically, at least once a year. 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.

Request information from your local law enforcement agencies about home protection packages. Some police departments offer things like code numbers to help find your valuables should they get stolen. Get in touch with the department to determine their offerings.

Have lights that are motion-sensor installed. These lights will come on if someone walks near your home. 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. Do not forget to change a bulb when it burns out.

Do not be shy. Speak to your neighbors. Watch their homes and ask them if they’ll watch yours as well. Listen to gossip also. You may stumble across valuable security information, like if someone has noticed a stranger lurking around the neighborhood.

If you live more out in the country, you may think that you’re not at risk. Others think that living in the country is more risky than other areas because houses are so far apart. Still, many believe that rural environments are less frequently targeted by burglars.

You can hide your valuable items inside your walls. You do not need to remove segments from your walls. Instead, you can use the small spaces that are already there. Unused electrical sockets can be great for hiding expensive jewelry.

Look for an alarm system that does more than protect your doors. Thieves can easily enter your home through a window. Make sure the alarm is attached to all of them, and that monitoring is offered for all possible entry points. With this method, your family will be safer.

No matter how soon you plan to return home, you should lock your doors. It is more common than you would believe for a thief to find a home, try the door and walk right in when it’s unlocked. A thief can take plenty of valuables in minutes.

Just moved in? Time for new locks! You don’t really know the people you purchased the house from or all the folks they shared keys with, so don’t place too much trust in the old locks. There are other people who have lived in the home as well.

Make sure to ask for identification for any home security company representative. Having the name of the technician coming to your house ahead of time can help to ensure you are allowing someone who really works for the company into your home. This can put your family and possessions in danger. Be very careful with who you let into your home.

Even the wires inside your home are worth something. The majority of people aren’t aware of this fact until a burglar steals these wires. The copper in the wiring is valuable and can be stripped off of the outside of the home in a relevantly short period of time. Make sure your wiring is hidden or hard to access to keep this valuable property safe.

Whenever seeking out home-security companies, the Internet can be a valuable resource, so utilize it. Take a look at various websites and read over customer testimonials and details about various packages. With that information, you can make your appointments with the top three companies you’ve chosen so that you can compare pricing and look at specific monitoring and plans.

Obtain flashlights with solid batteries, and ensure they are kept in all the rooms of your home in the event of a power outage. Having these in an easy to find place will allow you to see in the dark much quicker. Your kids should know how to work the flashlights so that everyone can help.

An important part of vetting any security company before you sign a contract with them is finding out how long they’ve been providing security services in your community. A company that has been in business for several years has shown that they can sustain in this industry and proven they provide reliable services that people recommend. Whenever you know you aren’t doing business with a fly-by-night company, you will be more assured your home is protected.

Even though it’s a vitally important subject for virtually any homeowner, many of them don’t know as much about home security as they should. Learning more about the concept should be a focus of anyone looking to protect their family and possessions. With luck, this article has proved of benefit to you in this regard.

Arrange for someone to pick up your mail and remove any fliers from your door if you are out of town. Thieves sometimes place fliers on front doors and then wait to see if anyone removes them. If the flier is not moved, they know that the occupant is not around or on vacation.