Regardless of whether you rent or own your home, you want your residence to be secure. Do you know how to secure your residence? This article will help you make your house much safer.

Make sure that you change the locks once you’ve taken possession of the house. You don’t know who might have a key. Contact a locksmith to make sure that only you have access to your home. You should also do this if your keys ever get lost.

Your home should looked occupied all the time. Invest in timers to automatically turn on and off any electronics at various times. In this way, it will always seem that someone is in your home. This is just one of the many precautions you can take to secure your home.

Does your dog like to play in your yard? If so, the dog can be a terrific spot to keep a spare key. You can attach your key to your dog’s collar in order to keep the key hidden. Your dog is an especially good key hiding spot if he doesn’t react well to strangers, since they won’t approach him, but the key will be there if you need it.

Make sure you trust your house cleaner before you provide them with a key. Anyone you give the keys to your home to should be unarguably honest. One way to do this is to check their references. Call the Better Business Bureau to see if their firm is well-reviewed.

Good home security systems sound a loud alarm when breached, and that’s not all. Many systems can be used to go off whenever anyone enters your home. This is a good way to know if your small child has opened a door or closed it.

Purchase ceiling, flooring and roofing that is fire resistant. This will help you protect your home under all circumstances. Preventing a fire hazard is one of the safest precautions that you can take due to the level of destruction that it can cause.

Purchase ceiling, flooring and roofing that is fire resistant. This ensures your home won’t be a tinderbox. Avoiding fire hazards is a great way to keep things safe.

When you’re picking out home security equipment and services, don’t forget to ask your friends and family for help. Your friends have gone through both bad and good experiences and they will be able to share them with you. Ask around to get lots of advice for making a better choice.

Do not open your door for strangers. People are coming up with all sorts of ways to convince people to open their door to them, with the intent of committing burglary or worse. Never open the door to anyone you do not know.

It can be a good idea to only leave one ringer on in your home when you are away. A constantly ringing phone can signal to a burglar that the house is vacant, making it an easy target for their criminal activities.

In the summertime, you should rid your yard of dead bushes and vegetation. These can quickly become fire hazards when hit by direct sunlight, placing your house at risk. Clear up your yard so it looks good and is safe.

Your garage should be as secure as your home. A lot of garage owners fret over burglars entering this way, but there are answers. Get a C-clamp to secure your garage door if it is mounted on a track.

Use your garage for what it was intended: your car. Keep the car within the garage will make sure no one harms or steals it. Keeping your car out of sight is also a good way to prevent intruders from determining whether or not you are home.

Make sure to clear your yard of brush and dead wood in the summertime. As it gets hotter, the chances of these igniting and putting your house at risk increase. Clearing your yard keeps your home, belongings and family much safer.

Make sure to have your home inspection system maintained on at least an annual basis. Have a worker from the security company take a look at it. There are many things that can be problematic with regards to home security systems, like wayward wild animals and the environment. If the problem cannot be seen, you probably won’t even realize there is one.

Determine what sort of home protection services or programs the local police department has to offer. They often offer home inspections, seminars and even the ability to purchase items. These programs can make a big difference to the security of your home, and they may just be a phone call away.

When choosing a home security firm, trust your instincts. Don’t hire anyone who makes you uncomfortable. Never be afraid to ask for a new installer or to get an entirely new firm. Remember, the new security apparatus is meant to make you feel safe and secure.

Hide any valuables in wall spaces. No need to damage your walls. There are many spots in your home that already have areas that are pre-cut. For example, you might remove the cover of an electrical outlet, disconnect the wires, and use the space to hide small valuables.

Consider hiding valuables within your walls. You do not need to remove segments from your walls. Many spots are already cut that can be used for this purpose. For example, you could take the wiring out of an electric socket that is not in use and put your valuable jewelry in there.

If the home you are moving into is not brand new, you should change the locks on all the doors. Although the tenant before might have turned their key in, they might still have a duplicate key. 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.

If you are throwing away the box an expensive item came in, wait until trash day to put the box out. Letting such packaging sit out will signal to criminals that there are good things to be found in your house.

Motion sensitive lights are an inexpensive way to increase your home’s security. These lights not only give off light at night, but can also offer security around your home. This is a great way to deter prowlers and potential intruders at night.

Just moved in? Time for new locks! It may seem as if the former owners of the home are honest, but really you don’t know much about them. Many other people could have keys to the property, and you probably don’t want them to all have access to your home.

Have your home security company inspect your home and suggest safety improvements. Each customer wants certain things as far as home security goes. If there is a company that can come up with a customized plan, you will get what you really need.

Prior to allowing access to anyone, make sure you are shown proper identification. 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.

Light up your home’s exterior. Darkness allows for all sorts of nefarious activities. Install lights by each and every entryway to your home. Don’t forget that this includes ground-level windows as well as doors, garages, and porches.

If you wish to boot your home’s security, one cheap way to do this is to buy exterior lights with motion detectors. At night, not only will these lights be handy to light up areas around your home,they are also a cost-effective and efficient security addition. Properly-situated motion detectors will give your home a complete field of protection and make it impossible for a miscreant to approach undetected.

Arrange for someone to pick up your mail and remove any fliers from your door if you are out of town. Burglars sometimes tack these up and watch to see whether or not they are removed. Fliers that are left behind signal to the burglar that there is no one at home.

You can find an excellent home security company with a simple Internet search. Review the websites of several companies and play close attention to the types of services offered and the customer reviews. Once you have selected a few potential home security providers, set appointments to interview them and find out what they have on offer.

Keeping thieves from the contents of your garage can be as simple as making sure they can’t easily look inside. Frosted windows will keep a burglar from being able to see inside. The material needed to do this can be found at home improvement stores. Keep your garage door closed as often as possible, too.

A wireless security system for your home is a great option. Wired systems could cost less, but they can also require intrusive electrical work inside your house and can fail when the power goes out. Wireless systems don’t need your home’s power in order to properly work. In addition, they can be usually be installed and maintained easier.

Hopefully now you better understand how to secure your house and belongings. Don’t let the time you spend reading this article be a waste. Allow these tips to get you started on the path to creating a more secure home. When you know your home is more secure, you will sleep better.

If you turn lights off and on at the same hours each day, you should use a timer. This is simpler, as you will not have to flip any switches, and you will know the lights will go off and on in your absence.