Home & house security advice
Read these top tips to find out how you can better protect your home and reduce your chance of being burgled.
Published:30 November 2023
Everyone should feel safe in their own home. However, unless the proper security is in place, your household could be at risk of burglary. More often than you’d expect, burglaries are carried out by opportunists who let themselves in through unlocked doors or windows. What’s more, if you don’t have basic home security in place, your house could be far more likely to be targeted. It’s important to remember that these crimes can happen anywhere, so whether you live in a city centre or rural village, make sure your home security is up to scratch. Here’s our guide to making your property secure.
Top tips for home security
Security inside the home
- Before you go out in the evening, leave some or all lights on and close your curtains.
- Remove any keys from locks, and place them in a safe place that's out of sight.
- Make sure your doors and frames are sturdy and in good condition - the Home Office advises that all wooden doors should be at least 44mm in thickness.
- Install robust deadlocks - such as British Standard BS3621 locks - in every door.
- Fit the inside of your front door with a chain or bar and a door viewer (otherwise known as a spy-hole).
- Make sure your back door or patio door is also highly secure – avoid glass panels as burglars can smash them easily.
- Install a burglar alarm from a trusted brand – remember to set it every time you leave the house, and check that it’s still working regularly.
- Keep all your valuables in a safe place - preferably locked away.
Security outside the home
- Don't leave spare keys in obvious hiding places, such as under the doormat or a flower pot, as thieves will know to look there first.
- Fit sturdy locks to all external doors and windows, making sure they are locked at all times.
- Install security lighting that is triggered by movement - this could make a burglar think twice about breaking and entering.
Security in the garden
- Keep all of your garden equipment, tools and ladders locked away safely in your garage so that burglars are unable to use them to break into your home.
- If you don't have a fence, it might be a good idea to erect one to reinforce the security around your property. It should be as robust as possible, but no higher than 4ft at the front or 6ft at the back.
- Garden gates should be at least the same height as your fence, and come with secure hinges.
- Keep your garden as neat as possible – if you leave lots of equipment lying around, this could tempt burglars and cause them to assume your home security is lax.
- If you have a shed, fit it with sturdy locks; for extra security, you could even install an alarm.
- Using specialist paint, mark your property with your postcode and house number so that the police can identify it in the event of recovery after a burglary. This also applies to property inside your home.
- Reinforce your external lights with extra lighting around your garden, eliminating the number of places a burglar could enter unseen.
- Bolt down your garden furniture so it cannot be transported out of your property by burglars, and anchor items such as wheelie bins that could be taken and used to climb up your house.
These are just some of the adjustments you can make to both your home’s interior and exterior that will dramatically improve its security. These simple measures could be more than worth the effort in the long run.