We know that keeping your home and family protected is extremely important to you. Even though you may think you are doing everything to keep them safe, unintentional security mistakes can lead to break-ins. Keeping yourself informed on how to avoid common security mistakes is essential to keeping your family protected.
Avoid these Home Security Mistakes
- Hiding a key outdoors- Whether it be under a doormat or a rock near your house, burglars often search for outdoor keys. While having a key outside may be convenient for your family, it can be very dangerous for the security of your home. We would recommend giving a key to a neighbor you trust instead of hiding one outdoors.
- Leaving a ladder outdoors- Often we believe that our second-floor windows are safe from burglaries and leave them unlocked. However, if you are doing work on your house and leave a ladder outside, you are putting your second-floor windows at risk. If you are working outdoors either bring your ladder indoors when you are finished or lock your second story windows.
- Using cheap locks- having strong locks are one of the best ways to keep thefts at bay. We recommend when upgrading the security of your home, that you upgrade the quality of your locks.
- Using Fake security Equipment- Nothing is more harmful to your home’s security than not having a real security system installed. While you may think fake security systems will scare away potential thieves, many thieves are very savvy when it comes to recognizing the difference between real and fake security equipment. Nothing works better to keep your property safe than a real security system that alerts you when something may be wrong.
- Announcing you will be away on social media- There have been many occasions where people have posted that they are away on Facebook and their home has gotten broken into. It is important to keep your travel plans a secret especially if someone is not watching your home. Be careful not to post any photos until after you are home!
- Putting your alarm system or valuables near the window- keeping your valuables near the window can be a mistake for obvious reasons, but what about your alarm system? While valuables seeing valuables near your window can prompt burglars to break-in, so can seeing an alarm system. While you may think that should deter burglars, if they see the alarm system is disarmed, they know they are safe to break in. While stickers of having an alarm system can be a big deterrent for burglars, make sure to keep the system status out of eyesight from burglars.
- Forgetting to maintain your Security System- The last common mistake we will discuss is forgetting to maintain your security system. While having a security system is important, it is even more important to make sure it is in working condition. Make sure to periodically check that you system is operating to its full capacity and replace any equipment that is either not working properly or is broken.
Keeping your family safe is your top priority that is why we encourage you to pay attention to the security of your home. Don’t fall into these common security mistakes, stay vigilant to making sure that your home is secure.