Protect Yourself from a Break-In at Home

As the summer rolls into Ireland, we all tend to let our guard down a bit when it comes to house safety. You may be heading for warmer climates or doing the “Staycation” thing this summer. We’ve got a few tips for you when it comes to protecting your house from break-in this summer.

Doors

Let’s begin with your doors. They might seem like a fairly safe. Although, they can sometimes be an intruder’s easiest entry point into your home. A seasoned professional will always check your doors first as it only involves opening and closing to gain access. An intruder can be in and out in a matter of minutes so make sure your doors are secured at all times. If you are having a family BBQ at the rear of your house make sure that you lock your front door. Burglars will often use the opportunity to enter your house, take possessions that are easy to lift and be gone before you realise you were even burgled.

Check Your Locks

Remember to regularly check your locks to see if they are up to the job at hand. Patio doors can be susceptible to being forced open. Be sure to fit anti entry devices. Also always try to get a regime of locking all doors on entry as well as exit in place with your family. It may just save you and your valuables from the consequences!

Pro Tip: Use a safe in your house to safeguard against the theft of valuables or important documents. Safes can also be placed in the ground. Keep this in mind when planning where to keep a safe. Door restrictors are also a great way to secure your house and offer a relatively cheap fix to the alternative of having your house broken into.

Windows

Your windows are the second port of call for an intruder trying to gain access to your house. During the summer months this is particularly true. Longer warmer days and evenings can have any home owner reaching to open windows to let some fresh air in or to cool down the house. This unfortunately can alert intruders to a potential easy entry. You should always make sure that you know exactly which windows in your house are open at any moment. If you are leaving the house unattended (even for 3 minutes) it’s good practice to close any open windows. If you like to sleep with a window open at night at least try to restrict it to an upstairs window.

Pro Tip: Use window restrictors where possible. They are an ideal way of limiting access through your windows.

Keys

Keeping many keys to your house safe can be a tricky exercise. It potentially has many people involved. It can be accomplished with some forethought as well as planning.

If you live in a busy house with many kids/ teenagers it can be hard to keep track of exactly how many keys are out there.Try to make sure that your kids know where their keys are at all time. Ask them to never give their keys to another person. You should also ensure that keys are never left in the lock to allow another friend in. An intruder to your house will spot a key in your door from a mile off. Keep it simple and have your kids keep their keys with them at all times in a safe place on their person. This is sure to help you prevent a break-in.

Renting a House?

If you live in a rented house, a lot of tenants may come and go. Over time and sometimes spare keys can get passed around to unknown people. If you feel that your house safety may be compromised ask your landlord to change your locks. It’s in his/ her interest to do so and will keep you safe and sound in your rented accommodation.

Pro Tip: If you are leaving spare keys hidden on your property place them in a magnetic holder. You should also put them in a place that is hard to access and not very obvious to a potential intruder. Long gone are the days where you leave a key under the door mat!!

For more information on any security issue please contact Lock Doctor on 1850 555 000 nationally or email info@lockdoctor.ie. We will give you the best security advice on how to prevent a break-in at home.

Lock doctor now has shop locations in Dublin, Limerick, Galway and also Waterford.