You should always feel concerned about your home’s security. How will you know when someone is targeting your home? Read this article in order to make your home a safer and more secure place.

Be sure your home appears to always be occupied. Purchase timers for electronics, lights, radios and TVs so that they will turn on and off at varied intervals. This will make your home appear as if someone is there. This should help you make your home safer and not attract the attention of potential intruders.

It is a good idea to replace all the locks on the new home you buy. You don’t know the exact number of copies of that key the previous owners have or have handed out. Changing the locks will give you peace of mind that you and your family are the only ones who have access to your home. When you lose your keys, have your locks rekeyed.

When you buy a new home, be sure to have the locks changed. You cannot be sure of the number of key copies that the former owner gave out. You want to be sure that you’re the only one with a key. If you lose keys, make sure to do this, too.

Home security systems offer additional features besides loud alarms during a break-in. Most systems could sound an alarm when someone enters the home. It’s a great feature for parents as they can tell if a child is potentially leaving the house.

Let a house cleaner have your keys only if they can provide you with references so you can verify their trustworthiness. If you do give out a key to such individuals, be certain you know their reputation for honesty. Check out their references thoroughly. If it is a known company, check with your local BBB.

Fire Resistant

Keep your jewelry, vital documents and other expensive items in a safe. This is vital if you don’t want diamonds, gold or other personal items exposed to a home intruder. Keep the safe hidden in a hard-to-find location like an attic or a basement closet.

Your flooring and roofing should be fire resistant. Having your home built with fire resistant materials will help safeguard your home in case it catches fire. Home security also includes taking steps to prevent a fire from completely destroying your home.

Fire-resistant building materials are the way to go, both inside and outside the home. This adds more protection to a house, especially if you’re in a dry area with some power lines. Fire prevention is paramount.

Do not open your door for anyone you don’t know. There are people who are going to be convincing, but they can just be professional thieves. Only open the door for people you are expecting.

Don’t open your door when strangers are knocking. Nowadays, people invent many stories of why they should come in. For instance, they may say they need to call a mechanic or the police. However, their true intent is to rob you. You should only open the door to people you were expecting.

If you have an attached garage, don’t forget to secure it as well. 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.

Your garage should be as secure as your home. You can prevent this from happening easily. Using a C-clamp on the garage door will prevent it from opening by staying on the door’s track.

Get rid of all of the dead wood and vegetation in your yard during the summer months. They pose a fire risk. You can prevent disasters by keeping your yard clean.

Check with the police department in your town for home security tips and advice. Some police departments offer things like code numbers to help find your valuables should they get stolen. Get in touch today.

Check with your local law enforcement agency about home protection plans. Several in various jurisdictions have programs which entail providing a home inspection, what protective measures will help your home and even how to engrave valuable items to make them easier to recover. Contact the police department to see if they have something similar.

Keep your car in the garage. If your car is in your garage there is less of a chance to vandalize or steal it. When it is in hiding, people won’t know if you’re home.

If you’ve got skylights, don’t forget about it when it comes to home security. Though skylights bring light into your home and look nice, it is also a very common way for burglars to get into your home. Skylights need to be installed correctly and safely, with hardware that will keep intruders out.

End your shyness. Introduce yourself to your neighbors. Keep on eye on their home and ask neighbors to return the favor. Listen to gossip also. You may hear valuable information regarding security, such as if any strangers have been hanging around.

Consider hiding valuables within your walls. You don’t need to cut out segments of your walls by the way. Many areas in your house are already accessible for this purpose. Consider unwiring an electrical socket that isn’t used and storing your valuable jewelry.

Those living in rural areas often don’t worry as much about intruders compared to city dwellers. Some people think that the people out in the country without neighbors are actually at a much greater risk. That said, stranger things have happened.

It is important that your valuables are not visible from anywhere outside your house. It may be great to have large windows with a view, but this means that people can look in. Keep your windows covered and your belongings private.

Use your wall spaces to hide your valuables. It’s not necessary to cut out parts of your wall to do this. There’s plenty of places in a house with pre-cut areas that can be used. Remove the wires from an electric socket you do not use so you can hide your valuable jewelry.

Are you aware of the fact that your home wiring is worth money? The majority of people aren’t aware of this fact until a burglar steals these wires. The reason they are valuable is because of their copper. A burglar can easily strip off your wires from the outside of your home very quickly. This is why the wiring should be hidden or difficult to get to.

Hide your security system’s wiring. Burglars can easily cut the wires if they are visible. Make it hard for a burglar to avoid your detection. This can make you safer.

Before you give a security company employee access to your home, make sure they’re in uniform and that they present acceptable identification. You would be surprised how many thieves will impersonate security representatives to get into your house. This leads to danger. Act cautiously to avoid potential dangers.

If you are new into a house, replace all the locks. While the person you bought the home from may seem on the up and up, you have no idea who they really are. There are other people who have lived in the home as well.

Ask your home security company about coming to your residence and creating a system that is tailored to your personal needs. You need some features which other families may wish to do without. When you don’t want to compromise in any way on the safety and security of your home, a custom-built system is usually the way to go.

The wiring outside of your home can be valuable. The majority of people aren’t aware of this fact until a burglar steals these wires. The wiring contains valuable copper than can be quickly stripped from a home. Keep your wiring hidden or inaccessible to potential burglars.

It’s a good idea to install a surveillance system in your home. Installing hidden and visible video cameras is great for securing a home. Cameras that can be clearly seen have a powerful deterrent effect, while concealed cameras are difficult or impossible for intruders to disable. Many surveillance systems can even be accessed via cell phone, allowing you to check up on your home when you are away.

Your flashlights should always be equipped with good, working batteries. This is important for you to be able to see should your power go out or you suffer an emergency. Your kids should know how to work the flashlights so that everyone can help.

Ask the security company about various contract lengths. There are advantages and disadvantages to each. You may pay less if you sign up for longer, but you might also get left with a contract if you have to sell your house. A shorter contract gives you more freedom, but it may cost you more per month.

Ask for ID before letting anyone into your home. Many thieves use this tactic to enter a house. This leads to danger. Caution is always advisable if dangers like this are to be avoided.

Find out if the company you choose will give you the option of buying or leasing home security systems. Purchasing your equipment may cost more in the beginning, but this is a one-time cost which does not recur. Sometimes it’s more affordable to begin with a lease, even though a continued lease may be costly in terms of ongoing higher monthly fees. It is worthwhile checking out both possibilities before you decide on which is best.

Screen the references of anyone who would have access to your house. A background check is also recommended so you know if they have a criminal history. There is no way of knowing whether or not service people are honest, so you should not give them keys to your home.

Don’t keep your car registration inside the glove compartment. If someone accesses these documents, they can determine your address. You ought to keep them with you or store them in an alternate spot in the car. Make sure you can easily and quickly access them in the event that a police officer pulls you over.

Your alarm will only work if the police are notified. An alarm system with full-time monitoring by a security company is the safest option. You can rest assured that the police will be called by the company. It is not safe to assume the neighbors will call the police.

Avoid making the password your birth date for numeric locks. Your birthday is readily available for burglars to find. Make it a random number that you and your family can commit to memory.

While gossip and scandals aren’t the most wholesome neighborhood topics, it’s best to stay in the loop. Busybodies are most likely to notice suspicious people lurking about. If you make friends with them, it’ll be like having another set of eyes watching your home.

Be realistic about the things that can happen to violate the sanctity of your home. Anything can happen any time and you must be prepared. Remember the tips in this article so you can create a safe haven for you and your family.

Deadbolt locks offer the best security, and those with captive keylocks are even better. These type of locks have a latch that cannot be reached through an open window. As a safety measure, keep the key inserted on the inside, so if there is a fire you will be able to open the door quickly.