Regardless of whether you rent or own, you want to be safe where you live. This article can clear up the questions about how to keep your home protected. Learn how to protect your home by reading this article.

Spare Key

Your dog can safeguard an extra key. This approach is useful if your dog is a large breed that lives outdoor, or if your house has a doggy door. Just hide a spare house key on the inside of your dog’s collar. Then when you need an extra key, you will be able to access this one.

Protect your spare key by using your dog. Really this works only if you have a pet door or if your dog is an outdoor dog. Place a spare key on the collar, and when you really need a spare, you know where to go!

The best home security systems do much more than sound the alarm (literally). Many systems can alert you whenever anyone has entered your home. If you have little ones wandering about the house, this makes it easy for you to know if they have come in or gone out.

Home security systems have additional features to just being noise alarms. The majority of systems are able to be set to put out an alert when any individual enters the home. Parents of children can track their kids this way.

Don’t let everyone in your social network know that you are leaving the home unprotected for your vacation trip; especially the people who you aren’t familiar with. It’s natural to be excited about your trip, but this is as good as throwing out the welcome mat for people who know your home is unoccupied.

If you will be vacationing for an extended period of time, turn off the ringer on all the phones in your house. If the phone continues to ring while you’re gone, this lets an intruder know that the home is empty.

When in the process of purchasing a home-security system, be sure to comparison shop. The prices can vary a great deal for the same level of protection from company to company. Before choosing which company to go with, ask for quotes from a minimum of three companies.

Clear away all the dead and dried out vegetation around your home in the summer. You risk a house fire if that sits there during the heat of the summer and catches fire. Regularly clear away your yard to keep your home in good standing and safe for your family.

End your shyness. Speak with your neighbors. Keep your eye on their houses, and ask for help to keep yours safe too. It does not necessarily pay to steer clear of gossip. You may end up hearing about things such as odd folks roaming about the neighborhood.

Use your garage for your car, not just storage. This will keep it away from thieves and vandals. Additionally, if your car is put away, burglars will not be able to tell whether or not you are home.

Do you live outside the city? You might be less worried about home invasions than if you lived in an urban area. Others think that living in the country is more risky than other areas because houses are so far apart. Still, there are those who are of the opinion that rural properties are less of a temptation to burglars.

Walls are the perfect place to hide. Small items of value can be hidden for safety in your home’s walls. You can use phone jacks or electric outlets as hiding spots. If there are no unused plates, you can easily install fake ones.

Walls make the perfect hiding spot. If you own small valuables that require protection, try hiding them in the walls. Target any unused phone jacks or electrical outlets for an easy hiding spot. You can easily install fake unused plates.

Hide any valuables in wall spaces. You do not have to cut pieces out of the walls to do this. Many areas in your house are already accessible for this purpose. How about unwiring an electricity socket and using it as cover for a place to stash valuable jewelry?

Rotted Wood

Always lock your home, even if you plan on coming back within a few minutes. Break-ins are often the result of unlocked windows and doors. It does not take long for thieves to steal a lot from your home.

Replace rotted wood around entryways. Anyone can gain access to our home by prying away the rotted wood. Keep your home secure by replacing rotted wood with fresh timber.

If you are moving into a new home, change the locks right away. Though the prior occupant may have relinquished their keys, there may be copies out there. You might even purchase and install your own locks so that you are assured of having the only keys.

If you have a home security system installed, make sure the wires are hidden. Intruders can easily disable your home security system by cutting or unplugging the wires. Don’t make it easy for an intruder, have the wires buried or hidden within the home’s walls. Your system will be far more effective this way.

When about to sign a contract with any home security firm, read all the small print. You may find fees appear unexpectedly, including excessive costs for ending your contract early. You’ll definitely want to avoid these types of fees if you can, so read carefully.

Always use online resources to identify the very best home security firm. Review different websites and review comments from previous customers. After reading about these services, you can narrow down the results and use appointments for price comparisons.

When moving into a house, ensure that each lock has been replaced. Regardless of how you feel about the sellers, you never know someone’s true intentions. Besides, other tenants or owners might have copies of the key if the previous owners did not change the locks.

You want the security company to actually come to your house and install the system according to your needs. All homeowners and homes differ. If you have found a company that could cater to your needs, then it is easy to get the security that will make you and your loved ones comfortable.

Inquire about different choices for contract lengths available from the home security provider. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. A long contract may lock you in even if you choose to sell the house or want to stop the services, but it can result in a lower bill every month. While a short contract provides you with extra freedom, it can cost you more for each month.

Remove and replace any wood that is not up to par. The rotten wood will be simple to remove, allowing a thief access to your home. Keep your home secure by replacing rotted wood with fresh timber.

Do not buy spring latch locks. These locks are easy to break into since they may be opened up with a credit card. This isn’t a difficult maneuver either. Add a deadbolt to doors with spring-latch locks.

See if your security company only sells equipment, or if they will lease it to you instead. Buying equipment can be pricey upfront, but it’s a single cost versus a monthly cost. The initial cost of leasing may seem low, but you may be required to sign a long term contract and it may carry a higher monthly fee. Investigate each option and determine which makes more sense.

If you move to a dwelling that has had prior occupants, make sure you get the locks changed. Although it’s normal for owners / tenants to surrender their keys when they leave, there’s no way of knowing who else might have copies. It’s easy to install locks, so you can just purchase them at the home improvement store and swap them out to be sure you have the only keys.

Now that some ideas have been presented to you for home security, get started! Do not waste any time; put these ideas to work. Allow them to springboard your individual ideas in order to make your home secure and keep it that way. You are sure to rest more comfortably, so don’t wait another minute.