Something tragic or bad can and will occur when you’re not expecting it. Make sure you look at your home security. Don’t put your family in unnecessary danger. The article below contains tips and tricks to help you create a secure environment for yourself and your family.

Only provide your house cleaner with a key if you trust him or her implicitly. Before you give a cleaner full access to your home for extended periods of time, you have to be certain that they’re trustworthy and reliable. Ask for references and check them thoroughly. If your cleaning person comes from a company, check with the BBB.

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. When giving your house cleaner the key to your home, you need to be sure that they are reputable and honest. Be sure to make sure their references check out. If the cleaner is from a firm, try calling the local BBB to find out about the firm’s reputation.

Home security systems do more than sounding an alarm in case of a break in. They can actually be set to chime whenever a monitored door is opened. This is important if you have small kids.

Don’t let strangers enter your home. This includes a salesperson or people looking for help. There are people that just want to go into your home to see if you’ve got a type of home security system, and if they see that you don’t, they’ll return when you’re not home.

Don’t make a habit of giving strangers access to your home. This includes a salesperson or people looking for help. Some folks will enter to scout for security systems, and upon seeing you lack one, will resolve to return at a later time.

Don’t open your door when strangers are knocking. Folks are always thinking up new schemes to get people to open the door so that they can commit their crimes. You should make sure you only open the door to your home for people that you know and are expecting.

Don’t open your door if a stranger is on the other side. People you do not know could have bad intentions or want to get an idea of how many valuable objects you own. Make it a habit to only open your home’s door to people you were expecting.

Garage Doors

Consult with your police department to find out about good programs for home protection. There are plenty of things that can be done, from a safety walk to cataloging expensive items to help protect your investment and your family. Call and see what is available.

You need to be sure the attached garage of yours is secure. A lot of garage owners fret over burglars entering this way, but there are answers. A C-clamp is very useful for garage doors that lift on tracks. It will prevent garage doors from opening up whenever it is near the roller and is tight on the track.

Remember to have an annual inspection of your home security system. The security company should have a specialist come to look at it. Wild animals or plain old nature can wreak havoc on your home security system. If the problem cannot be seen, you probably won’t even realize there is one.

Go with your gut when you invite a home security company representative into your house. If the installers give you the heebie-jeebies, it’s not a good sign. You can decide to use a different company, or ask for a different person to install it. You want the system to make you feel like you’re more comfortable.

Go with your instincts when choosing a security system company. If the installers make you feel uncomfortable, heed your feelings. Don’t hesitate to request a different technician or to hire a new company altogether. You want the system to make you feel like you’re more comfortable.

Skylights should be secure. Skylights are excellent for beauty and light, but it’s easy for burglars to gain access to your home through them. Keep them secure with heavy duty hardware that closes them off to potential thieves.

Skylights need to be secure, too. Skylights are commonly used by thieves to enter a home. Check that skylights have heavy duty hardware that can stand up under unwanted tampering.

It is not a good idea to hide a spare key on your property. A key that is easily found is a convenience for a burglar, not just for you. Any thief knows all the typical hiding spots. You should have a trusted neighbor keep a spare key.

Don’t put extra keys under doormats or in planters. You are allowing people to invade your home when you make it easy for them. Burglars are well aware of such hiding places. Ask a friend, neighbor or relative to keep your extra keys for you.

If you are throwing away the box an expensive item came in, wait until trash day to put the box out. Empty boxes for expensive new gear serve as advertisements to potentials thieves; don’t make it easy for them to spot such tempting targets.

It is important that you do not put expensive valuables in plain sight. It is wise to invest in coverings for large windows that can give criminals a large view of your home. If your house has street-facing windows, make sure they are always covered and your make sure your valuables are hidden away.

Your first priority when you move to an apartment or house where others have lived in before is to replace all the locks. Even if you’ve gotten a key from the previous owner or tenant, there could still be a lot of people out there who have keys to your home. You might even install new locks yourself so that you know you have the only keys.

Whenever you sign with a home-security company, it is important that you thoroughly read the contract. Sometimes there are hidden costs involved if you decide to let your service go before the contract expires or add additional equipment at a later point. It’s best to know about these fees in advance so that you can avoid them when possible.

You can find an excellent home security company with a simple Internet search. Browse through different websites and seek out customer reviews about different services and packages. Once you have selected a few potential home security providers, set appointments to interview them and find out what they have on offer.

Criminals are much less likely to target your home if it’s well lit. They don’t wish to be seen. Good lighting in your home means that crooks have no hiding places. If you want to stay secure, keep your house brightly lit.

Keep safety at the forefront as you landscape. Don’t obstruct windows or doors with shrubs, plants, fences or trees. If they can be seen, there will be no place to hide. Keep this in mind as you design.

Your landscaping should be designed based on what will be safest for your home. There should be no plants or greenery in front of doors or windows. No one can easily break into a window which everyone can see. Put these features at a greater distance from your house; let beauty also complement safety.

Criminals are always unpredictable, and it can sometimes be difficult to understand if you and your home are a target for their illegal activities. Rather than just counting on luck, do what is necessary to protect your own home. The information you’ve just reviewed can be a vital first step in improving the security of your home.

Consider purchasing a wireless security system for your home. Wired systems could cost less, but they can also require intrusive electrical work inside your house and can fail when the power goes out. A wireless system, on the other hand, requires less maintenance and is simpler to install.