Don’t let the rainy days fool you, summer is finally here! Meaning we have the time to do those things around the house we’ve been meaning to do all year. Whether you are looking to upgrade your house security systems, looking for ways how to improve home security in general or just want add extra security measures to protect your home while on summer holiday, now is the time do it.
Here are 8 changes you can make to ensure you have more security at home.
1: Install Window Restrictors and Door Latches
Having so few summer months, it’s natural for us to want to soak up as much sun and fresh summer air as possible. To do this safely and without compromising on window and door security, use summer DIY time to install window restrictors and door latches – like our very own LockLatch. This will allow you to leave windows and doors open while asleep, but locked. Meaning you can enjoy your summer days and evenings with a little more peace of mind, enjoying safe ventilation while letting your pets into the garden and protecting your home from opportunistic thieves.
2: Do a garden check
Use your time this summer to do a garden check to increase house security. The summer brings the warmer weather, which in turn makes our gardens flourish. However, the overgrown bush unfortunately creates good hiding spots for burglars. Keep your bushes pruned to make it harder for opportunistic thieves to case your home without being noticed.
3: Strengthen Your Doors
Doors are a popular entry point for opportunistic thieves and well-planned burglars alike. Securing and strengthening your doors, even if fitted with door alarms, can go a long way of securing your home. There are a number of ways to do this, including: replacing wooden frames with metal frames, using extra long wood screws for added strength, replacing regular locks for long-throw deadbolts and installing added locks and latches to give you multiple locks at different heights making it more difficult to get it. Ultimately improving your home door security systems considerably.
4: Do Some Planting
Want to help prevent criminals from accessing your home through your windows? Take advantage of the summer by doing some gardening. Planting spiky plants such as holly and bougainvillea makes accessing your home through your windows harder, therefore acting as a big deterrent for thieves and improving home window security.
5: Put Up Warning Signs
If you’re looking to make your home less of a target to criminals and opportunistic thieves, use summer to add some warning signs to your property to deter them. Signs like “Caution”, or “beware of the dog” are said to decrease the likelihood of break ins by a considerable amount and ensure you have more security at home.
6: Give your Home Security System a Revamp
If you have the time and the budget, summer is a great time to revamp, overhaul or upgrade your home, door and window security systems. If you have the budget, time and DIY savviness, install your own motion lights, door alarms and cameras to make your home a force to be reckoned with.
7: Install Timer Switches
One of our biggest house security concerns in the summer is protecting our homes when going on summer holiday. A big deterrent, giving us more peace of mind, is to make your home looks more lived in while you’re away. You can do this many ways including installing time switches. These will ensure that your lights switch on and off automatically while away, giving opportunistic thieves the impression that you are home and not away on your family holiday.
8: Be More Vigilant
The warmer months tend to bring more home solicitations; people looking for charitable donations or selling door-to-door. Criminals are known to take advantage of this by posing as these collectors or sellers, as using this access to case out your home – dramatically threatening security at home. When someone knocks on your door, do not open up without getting identification or letting them see inside your home; getting a first hand look at possible valuables.
There you have it, 8 tips to improve security at home for the summer. If you’re looking for more, check out our 9 Home Security Tips When You Home Alone.
More on safety & security:
10 Home Security Tips to Make Your Home a Castle
Burglar Prevention Through Use of Window & Door Restrictors