When you keep valuable items, such as money, expensive jewelry or original objects of art in your home, you cannot make the assumption that no one is aware of this fact. You should protect your home and family from burglars by implementing home-security strategies. The tips below can help.

Make sure your home appears occupied. You could purchase timers which make lights and TV’s, as well as other devices, power on or off at varying intervals. This helps to create the illusion that someone is presently at home. This is a simple way to give people up to no good think that you are home.

Protect your spare key by using your dog. This approach is useful if your dog is a large breed that lives outdoor, or if your house has a doggy door. Just place your key on your dog’s collar.

The only time you should give out house keys to house cleaners is if you absolutely trust them. Anyone you give the keys to your home to should be unarguably honest. Check references thoroughly. If the cleaner is from a firm, try calling the local BBB to find out about the firm’s reputation.

Providing a key to the person cleaning your home can be acceptable, but you must be sure they are honest and worthy of your confidence. You need to ensure that they are honest and reputable according to references before you have handed over the key. Check their references very carefully. Contact your local Better Business Bureau to find out more about the reputation of the cleaner you hired.

Home security systems do more than sounding an alarm in case of a break in. The majority of systems will give an audible alert when someone enters the house. Parents riding herd on small children will be thankful for this feature which makes it harder for kids to sneak outside without supervision.

Home security systems are able to do more than just sounding the alarm whenever you have an intruder. Some give offer the option to monitor all entries into the house. This could be valuable for parents who have small children, making them aware when their kid has closed or opened a door.

Check with the police department in your town for home security tips and advice. The police can offer you some great advice, help you engrave valuables and even come check out your home. Discuss these programs with a local police officer to see if they’re available in your area.

When planning to go away for a holiday, be sure to turn off the ringers on your home phones. A home phone that rings and rings is a good way for a potential thief to know if anyone is home.

Make sure to have your home inspection system maintained on at least an annual basis. Ask a home security employee to give it a look. Many things can impact the performance of a security system, such as animals and weather. The problem might not be obvious to you, though.

Keep your car in your garage if you have one. This will keep thieves from stealing it or harming it. Hiding your car away from plain view is a good way to keep intruders from knowing when you are at home or not.

If you bought any expensive or large items, don’t throw the boxes out until the day trash is scheduled to be removed. Doing so is like giving a burglar an invitation to target your home; he or she will know there is something good inside.

Changing the locks is a fundamental part of adding security to the home. Maybe you had a roommate move out or have a disgruntled ex-lover, changing the locks is the best way to keep yourself safe. This is a very easy process that you can complete within a day.

Replace rotted wood around entryways. Rotten wood is easily removed and can give an intruder a way into your home. Replace rotting wood with new wood to stay safe.

Go with your gut when you invite a home security company representative into your house. You should be very picky when it comes to letting people inspect your home. Ask for someone else to come out or switch companies. After all, the point of the system itself is to help you feel more at ease.

After moving into a pre-owned apartment or home, change the locks. You do not want anyone to have a copy of the key. Find a reliable locksmith who can replace the locks or do it yourself.

Rural Residents

Carefully check the references of everyone before allowing them to enter your home. Check if they have any history of criminal activity. There is no way of knowing whether or not service people are honest, so you should not give them keys to your home.

Do you live out in the country? If so, you might not be as worried about burglars breaking in as those people in the city are. Some people feel that rural residents lead riskier lives because they are far away from neighbors. Others feel rural residents have a lower risk of being burglarized.

One relatively inexpensive way to add an extra layer of protection to your home is to install motion sensor lights for the exterior of your home. These lights are not only handy when you get home late, they also help deter criminals from entering your home. They also help to keep intruders away, because an intruder does not want to come close to your property if they know they might be spotted.

Rather than living in blissful ignorance, assume that you may be targeted by criminals. Avoid becoming paralyzed by fear, but don’t hesitate to make the prudent preparations. Keep this article in mind when pondering ways to improve the security of your home, so that you can secure your family and yourself.

Keep lights on at all times if you want to prevent break-ins from happening. Burglars don’t want to be visible. When your house is well lit, intruders have no place to hide. This makes it hard for them to get things from you. Keep lights on in the evening for a safer home.