Tips For Protecting Your Home While On Vacation

Posted on: 16 September 2015

No house is impenetrable. However, securing the entrance points to your home before you leave on vacation can go a long way towards keeping your property safe and giving you peace of mind while you're away. Securing your home doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. There are a number of easy things you can do to deter would-be burglars and vandals while you're out of town.

Five ways to secure your home before vacation

1. Install deadbolts on your entry doors. If your front door has glass in it or beside it, it can be vulnerable to a burglar breaking that glass to gain entrance. Deter this by installing a keyed deadbolt with at least a one-inch bolt on the door. That way, even if someone breaks the glass, they won't be able to get inside.

2. Don't forget the door from your garage to your house. The door that leads from your garage to your house is an especially vulnerable entrance point. After all, thieves can enter the garage, close the door and take as long as they need (unobserved) to enter your home. Thwart these efforts by installing a deadbolt lock on this door also.

3. Install keyed locks on your windows. Windows, too, can be vulnerable. Make it more difficult to enter your home via the windows by installing keyed locks on your windows, so that they can't be easily forced open. Make sure to include your windows in your alarm system, too. Many systems have an option that triggers the alarm if it senses shattered glass.

4. Use patented keys. Even the best locks are vulnerable if the burglar has a key. How often do you give keys to a housekeeper, babysitter, pet sitter or friend? It's a good idea to keep a list of the people to whom you've given keys. To avoid making it easy for these keys to be copied (either by the person you gave it to or someone close to them), the National Crime Prevention Council advises using patented keys that prohibit copying.

5. Trim the shrubs near your doors. Overgrown bushes can give burglars a place to hide while they break into your home. Make your home less attractive to these ne'er-do-wells by keeping your bushes cut low, especially near your entrances.

While it's impossible to ensure that your home won't be the target of burglars while you're away, you can avoid making your home a target by installing dead bolt locks on all of your entrance doors, using patented keys that can't be copied and keeping your bushes well-trimmed. Contact a company like ASAP Mobile Locksmiths for more information.

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