You need to keep your home safe, whether you rent or you own. Perhaps you are unaware of how to secure your home. This article is your solution. For insight and ideas into home security, keep reading.

It is a good idea to replace all the locks on the new home you buy. Many people may have been given keys by the former owner. Hire a locksmith so that you can be sure you are the only person who can access your home. When you lose your keys, have your locks rekeyed.

You should always make sure your home looks like its occupied. You can purchase timers that can control your household electronics such as lights, TVs and radios. This will give the appearance that someone is at your house at all times. This is great for keeping a home safer from burglaries.

Buy a safe. If an intruder breaks into your home, at least these valuables will be secure. This safe should be hidden in a location where burglars won’t find it, such as a hole in the wall, the attic, or a basement closet.

When looking for a system to secure your home, do comparison shopping. Prices can differ a lot among companies for the same type of protection. Before choosing which company to go with, ask for quotes from a minimum of three companies.

Make sure your attached garage is secure. There is a solution for people that are worried about burglars going into their home through an attached garage. If your garage lifts up on a track, try using a C-clamp. This will prevent your door from opening up if the clamp is close to its roller.

Don’t use social media to announce that you will be gone for an extended period of time. Although it’s fun to talk about, posting it online makes it more possible for criminals to find out when you’re gone.

Be sure to keep your car in your garage rather than filling your garage with stored belongings. In this way, your car will be safer. This will keep it away from thieves and vandals. This will also make it more difficult for burglars to track when you away from home.

If you do not know the person at your door, don’t open it. You have no way of knowing if the stranger on the other side of the door wishes to do you harm. You should only open the door to people you were expecting.

You should regularly check your home security system, regardless of how reliable you believe it is. Ask a home security employee to give it a look. There are any number of problems that can cause malfunctions in your security system, from weather damage to animal activity. The problem might not be obvious to you, though.

Attached Garage

Do not be reluctant to meet your neighbors. Speak with your neighbors. By knowing the people in your neighborhood, you can rest a little easier knowing that people are looking out for each other. Pay attention to gossip. It is often a good way to find out about security issues, such as strangers in the neighborhood.

Secure your attached garage. Some people are concerned about burglars entering through an attached garage. Using a C-clamp on the garage door will prevent it from opening by staying on the door’s track.

You can hide your valuable items inside your walls. You don’t need to cut out segments of your walls by the way. You can find areas in your walls that are pre-cut and use those. Perhaps you could deactivate a few unused electrical sockets to use as a place to store stuff.

It doesn’t matter how much money you spent, you should have an annual test. Your security company should send a representative to check your system. A number of things may cause your alarm system to have problems, including mother nature and wild animals. The problem might not be obvious to you, though.

Keep a flashlight with good batteries in every room of your home, just in case you lose power. Flashlights are very important, as they will give you the ability to move around in the event of an emergency. Keep in mind that your family might be separated during a power outage, and make sure you children know where to find and how to use your flashlights.

Motion sensor lights are a great investment. These lights will turn on if anyone walks too closely to your home. These lights will make you aware of, and can also scare off, potential burglars. Just remember that you must change the bulbs often in order to keep the lights working in order.

If you move to a place that was occupied before, you should change the locks right away. While you may trust those who lived there before you, you have no idea who lived there before them. You can change the locks yourself if you’re feeling really industrious.

Always change the locks if you have someone move out of your home. Whether you just bought your home or someone just moved out that you were living with, this is an important step to any new situation. Changing locks is not very expensive and should be done within a few hours.

Don’t allow your landscaping make it easier for burglars to break into your home. Shrubs, trees, fences, etc. should not obstruct the view of your doors and windows. This makes it where people can’t hide in different nooks and crevices. Keep landscaping away from your house for safety reasons.

Listen to your intuition as to whether your system is being installed by a trustworthy home security company. This is especially true if you are uneasy with those who are installing the actual system. Ask the company to send a different installer or simply change companies. The point of that system is to feel safer after all.

Shred any documents and junk mail that contains identifying information. You’d be shocked at how many times thieves search trash looking for personal documents to see when you’re not home so that they can get into your home. If a shredder is too expensive, at least tear relevant paperwork into small bits.

Don’t put your spare key in an obvious place near your front door. A key that is easily found is a convenience for a burglar, not just for you. Thieves know about all these hiding spots. Try having your trustworthy neighbors hold spare keys.

You need a home security system. Video cameras are a great deterrent. Intruders can be deterred to visible cameras, but hidden cameras are better if criminals damage the other cameras. A lot of surveillance cameras could be accessed through your phone, giving you the chance to check it even when you’re away.

Lock up your house every time you leave. Many home thefts start with the thief simply walking in an unlocked door or window. It can be a quick job for a burglar to steal items of great value.

If you’ve got guests that you don’t want in particular areas of the home, close the area off so it is not accessible. Get key-less locks that need a code. You can either install these locks by yourself, or have them professionally installed if you are not that handy yourself.

Plug a rechargeable flashlight into an outlet in each room of your house in the event of power outage. Having these in an easy to find place will allow you to see in the dark much quicker. Show your children how to use them so everyone in the family is involved.

Inquire whether a security company offers variable contract lengths. There are of course pros and cons for each contract. You might pay less each month for longer contracts, but it has its deterrents as well. Shorter contracts allow your greater freedom, however they usually cost more each month.

If you move into a home or apartment that has been previously lived in, the first thing you should do is change the locks. Previous tenants may have given the keys back to the landlord, but it is always possible to make copies of keys. It is possible to purchase and put in locks on your own so you can be assured you have the only keys.

Ask whether companies offer options to lease or buy your security equipment. You can avoid interest rates by buying the security system right away. Leasing is usually the cheaper option; however, it does mean higher monthly bills and a contract. Check out both options and determine which is best for you.

Always go over the small print on contracts offered by your home security company. There may be some hidden fees, or a need to buy more equipment later. You want to avoid as many of these fees as you can, so read everything.

Avoid keeping your key somewhere expected. A very obvious location is underneath fake rocks. Anyone looking for your key will look under your doormat. A better plan is to ask someone you trust to keep your extra key in case you need it. If that option isn’t available to you, be creative with your hiding spots.

The outside of your house should be well lit. Darkness allows for all sorts of nefarious activities. The most important parts of your home to light are all of its potential access points. Don’t forget that this includes ground-level windows as well as doors, garages, and porches.

Replace any non-metal or non-wood door immediately. Doors made of these materials are sturdy. This makes it much harder for a burglar to kick in a door. You are probably able to replace your exterior doors for a small price, so do that soon.

Keep burglars on the outside of your garage by making sure nobody can actually see inside the garage. Have your windows frosted so they aren’t as easy to see through. Never leave the front door open for very long.

Take to your security company, and find out if they have motion activated lights. Many companies offer this, and it causes the lights on the outside of your home to go on as soon as someone approaches an entry way. This can add extra security as you go into your house, and it can keep intruders away.

Now that you know more about home security, get the process moving! Do not hesitate to put these ideas into practice. They can be a springboard and allow you to build on them and secure your home. You will feel much more relaxed and safe once you have a quality home security system installed.

A home alarm can be a good investment if police are notified when it sounds. Some security systems have constant monitoring, so that when the alarm goes off, a call is made to the police for you. You cannot depend on your neighbors to call them.