We are coming up on holiday season, where there is potentially a lot of time spent away from home. Here are some great tips for keeping your home save courtesy of
American Home Shield.
Keep a low profile.
Is your flat-screen TV visible through a window
from the street? Do you have an expensive car parked in your driveway? To a
burglar, those are signs that your home might offer a lucrative haul. Keep
expensive items concealed, and don’t advertise large purchases by leaving boxes
at the curb.
Maintain visibility.
Tall shrubs and privacy fences provide
burglars with cover so your neighbors won’t see them breaking in. Keep windows
and doors visible to deter burglars. Install motion-activated floodlights around
your home to draw attention if someone approaches after dark.
Lock upstairs windows, and don’t keep ladders outside.
People
often forget to lock upstairs windows—and burglars know it. Make sure all your
windows are locked when you’re not home, and keep your ladders in a locked
garage or shed so a burglar can’t use them to access upstairs windows.
Make it look like you’re home.
Unoccupied houses are prime
targets. Use timers on lights, televisions and radios to create the appearance
of activity. Hire landscapers if you’ll be out of town for an extended period so
your home looks well cared for. If a burglar thinks someone is home, they’re
more likely to skip your house.
Secure doors and windows.
Burglars look for weak doors with old
hardware that are easy to kick in. If your doors aren’t secure, replace the
knobs, locks and hardware. Use long screws that help resist kick-ins, and
consider adding dead bolt. If you have a doggie door, secure it with a lock or
just seal it up.
American Home Shield is providing the
information for general guidance only. Due to the general nature of the property
maintenance and improvement advice in this material, neither American Home
Shield Corporation, nor its licensed subsidiaries assumes any responsibility for
any loss or damage which may be suffered by the use of this
information.
