Home security is a matter of great importance for people in all walks of life, from single renters to homeowners with children to protect. Good security measures can provide you with an essential feeling of safety in your home. Rather than living in fear, there are many things you can do to improve things. Read on to discover many tips to help on home security.

Use your dog as the protector of your spare key. This only makes sense if your dog is outdoors a lot or you have a pet door. Place a spare key on the collar, and when you really need a spare, you know where to go!

If someone comes to clean your home, only give them a key if they’re trustworthy. Make sure you know they are legitimate before giving out the key. Carefully check their references. If they work for a firm, call the local Better Business Bureau to find out that firm’s reputation.

You should only provide a house cleaner your key if you completely trust them. Be sure to check out the background of any housekeeper you plan to provide with a key to your home. Check their references fully. If applicable, call the BBB to inquire about their reputation.

Make sure that you hide your spare key in a good spot. People will check your doormat and frame first. Think outside the box and put the key someplace unusual, like hidden in your dog’s collar.

Get a good safe to store your valuables in your home. This will keep your stash of diamonds, gold and other valuable items out of view and inaccessible to burglars. Keep your safe in your basement or attic to make it hard to find.

Do not open your door for strangers. People you do not know could have bad intentions or want to get an idea of how many valuable objects you own. You should make sure you only open the door to your home for people that you know and are expecting.

Talk to the police department in your area to see what safety programs they have. 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. A quick call to the non-emergency number at the police station in your town will tell you all you need to know.

Keep your car in your garage. You will not have to worry about thieves taking your car if it is inside your garage. Besides, intruders will have a hard time determining whether or not you are home if you keep your car inside your garage.

Use motion sensor lights. The motion sensors turn on the lights whenever anyone approaches your home. You will be alerted when there is activity outside, and any potential burglars will be deterred because they do not want to be seen. Get in the habit of checking and replacing the bulbs as necessary to ensure the lights remain effective.

Don’t forget skylights when doing a security sweep for your home. Skylights are great for making a home brighter, but they can make it easier for burglars to access the house. Any skylights in your home should be secured with strong hardware.

Always go with your gut when it comes to choosing a security firm. If the installers make you feel uncomfortable, heed your feelings. Make sure that the installer has experience installing your type of security system. You want your new system to protect you, not be the way the thief gets into your home.

You should not hide your spare key under your mat or inside a plant box. These are the first places criminals will look when they try to enter your home. Thieves are aware of these hiding spots. Give it to a neighbor you trust instead.

Never place a spare key in a plant box or under your welcome mat. You might think this protects you against being locked out of your home, but it also gives intruders access to your home. Burglars always know just where to look. You should have a trusted neighbor keep a spare key.

If you are moving into a home that had a previous owner, then you should immediately change the locks. The previous tenant or owner may not have the keys, but you don’t know if they made copies for themselves or others. You can also put the locks on yourself so you can be sure no one else has a key.

When moving into your new house, change every lock. You have no way of knowing whether the previous homeowner is trustworthy. There are other people who have lived in the home as well.

Home security installation technicians should always be in uniform and wearing identification. Thieves can pass themselves as workers, which can end up in a robbery of your home. This is a danger to your belongings and your family. Act cautiously to avoid potential dangers.

Your door frame should be replaced if the wood around it is rotting. Rotten wood can be removed in order to get inside your home. Replace any wood that has begun to rot with new wood so that your house stays safe.

A good way to scare off intruders is to keep your house lit at nighttime. They prefer not to be seen. Ample lighting makes it difficult for would-be burglars to approach undetected, and this turns your home into a less attractive target. This makes it a good idea to keep the lights on.

If you are moving into a home that had a previous owner, then you should immediately change the locks. The previous owners or tenants might have made some copies of the 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.

Don’t allow your landscaping make it easier for burglars to break into your home. Windows should be free from obstructions like trees, shrubs and fencing. With areas like these visible, there will be no hiding while attempting a break-in. Landscaped features should be set further away for safety, yet keeping beauty in mind.

Motion sensitive lights are an inexpensive way to increase your home’s security. This is a fairly inexpensive way to provide light and security to your property. If strategically placed, motion detectors ensure that it’s difficult for intruders to break into your home sight unseen.

Make sure the outside of the house is well lit. Burglars prefer the cover that night provides their criminal activities. Be sure and have a light next to any entry point in your home. Over doors, near windows and especially your back yard need to be lit.

Have home-security companies come to your home so they can design the best possible system for it. Every family is different, and so your security needs will be unique. Working with a business that will look out for your specific interests will help you be much safer at home.

If you purchase an expensive item, get rid of the box rather than allowing it to sit outside your home. This will just alert criminals to the fact that you have expensive items in your home. Break up the boxes into smaller pieces before you put them near the curb.

Keep the outside areas of your home well lit. Thieves prefer to work in darkness. Add lights to any areas you believe are potential entry points for burglars. This can include the garage, doorways, porches and other areas which invite an intruder in.

Stand out in your street, and look toward your home. Are you able to see the numbers of your home? If an emergency occurs, the police will not be able to find your home as quickly if these numbers are too small or are obscured in some way. Thankfully if you notice a problem it’s an easy and cheap thing to fix.

Use a wireless security system. A wired system might cost less, but they can require extensive rewiring work and may be rendered useless if the power fails. Wireless options are easy to install, need less maintenance and are not dependent on the home’s power source.

There’s an easy way to secure interior doors (if there are areas you want to keep housemates and children out of) without obliging you to carry a key-ring around at all times. You can have key-less locks which require a code. You can have keyless locks installed by a security company or you can do it yourself.

If you are out of town for awhile, ask a friend to take a look at your door for any fliers. Sometimes burglars leave fliers in an attempt to see if anyone is home to remove them. A flier that hangs around for days on end lets burglars know that there’s no one in the home.

A timer can help you regulate when you turn the lights off or on in the evening. A timer will prevent the need of flipping the switch. In addition, it will help ensure the lights keep turning themselves on and off when you are not home. This will help deter potential burglars.

The number on your house should be easy to find. If you need assistance, emergency vehicles may not locate your home in a timely manner if the numbers don’t stand out. Luckily, this is an issue that can be fixed quickly.

Making your home a safer place doesn’t necessarily take an expensive security system. You don’t need to spend tons of money to keep criminals away from your home. Follow the tips presented here to feel safe and secure in your own home.

Keep your windows covered if you’re out. Potential intruders will see what you are doing and get an idea of how many valuables you own if you keep your blinds open. If a burglar sees something that is enticing, they are going to try and get it from your home. You should also have them down when you are sleeping.