You can proactively help to protect your home from a break-in or burglary by following these tips to secure the exterior areas.
Protect Your Home from the Outside In
Your home is your sanctuary – and you definitely don't want anyone breaking into it. Protection starts with making it difficult for unwanted visitors to break-in to your home. There are many things that you can do to the exterior of your house or in the yard to deter burglars and make it more difficult to force entry.
What You Can Do
Consider these tips to protect the exterior of your home:
- Illuminate as much of your property as possible.
- Keep your shrubbery cut back so that it doesn't block windows and doors.
- Secure window air conditioners from the inside.
- Exterior doors should be solid, not hollow. Metal doors provide the best protection against forced entry.
- Use a fencing style that would not conceal a burglar's activities. Remember if you can't see out, others can't see in.
- Secure any glass that is less than 40' from a door lock. Either coat exterior glass with an acrylic or polycarbonate to strengthen, or replace with laminated or tempered glass.
- Door hinges that are on the outside should have a non-removable center pin that can't be tampered with and install deadbolt locks.
- Dogs are great deterrents to burglars. Even a strategically placed "Beware of Dog" sticker can make a burglar think twice. Of course, vicious dogs are never a good idea. If your dog bites someone, you might find yourself in court. A dog that barks is better than one that bites.
- Place hinged security bars over basement windows. Remember to keep the key nearby for emergency exits.
- Pin sliding patio doors together when closed. Another easy security step is to drill a hole in the upper track and insert a screw that extends out into the runner to prevent the door from being lifted up and out of its track.
- Ensure that a burglar cannot access the roof from high trees or a ladder left outside.
Need More Protection?
Talk to a one of our brokers at McConville Omni Insurance today, and have the peace of mind that your home is protected properly.