If you think that your house is completely safe and secure, wait and think again. Installing locks and keeping the windows shut aren’t the only home security measures that you must follow. You also need to identify the signs that your home is not safe and then solve those security issues. To find out whether your house is safe or not, you must look for the following signs and mistakes.
1. Spare Key Hidden Outside
A spare key hidden under the doormat or under a flowerpot might seem like a good idea to be prepared for emergency situations. If you have lost your house keys or you’ve locked yourself outside, having a spare key outside helps you enter your house. However, a spare key also helps many burglars to complete their task. Experienced burglars probably know all the possible places where most homeowners hide their spare house key. They can easily get the key, open your house, and get whatever they want without many efforts.
2. Ignoring the Second Entry
Do you have a secondary entry point to your house? If yes, then you need to be careful and close it every time you leave from home. When you think about protecting your home, you most likely think about your front door first. However, the back door is also as important as the front entry. Criminals can easily enter your house through the back door while you are away. Therefore, ensure that you lock the back door too before leaving your home.
3. Signs of an Unoccupied House
Even though your house is unoccupied and you are away for a week or two, you shouldn’t make it obvious. When the signs of a vacant house become evident, the house becomes more susceptible to break-ins and burglaries. This happens because empty houses are soft targets for criminals. Filled trash bins, too many newspapers outside the door, several mails collected outside the main door, off lights even during the evening, etc. are some obvious signs that your house is unoccupied. Therefore, discontinue all the subscriptions for a week or the duration that you will be away for and make your home look occupied.
4. Inadequately Lit Area
Do you have enough lightings in the external areas of your house? Are your lawn and walkways adequately lit? If not, then your house may not be safe. Dark places on your property can act as easy hiding points for criminals. They can hide around the plants or in the corners of the external areas without you even noticing them. They may look for the right time to break in and then vandalize your house. Therefore, ensure that all parts of your house are properly lit.
Now that you know some of the obvious signs that your home is not safe, and what you can do to secure your home, you can take a step towards a safer life. If you wish to secure your house with security systems, you can hire one of the best security companies and get security cameras and detectors installed in your home.