Making sure your home is as secure as possible should be one of your top considerations. Unfortunately, what is perceived as secure by many can be the exact reverse. The issue is that many people are unaware of the possible weaknesses that crooks commonly take advantage of. This is why a thorough risk assessment of your home’s security is crucial. You can end up saving money and suffering a lot less misery thanks to a security risk assessment.
Your home’s safety can be increased with regular risk assessments, thereby defending you and your loved ones. Your home security examination does not have to be limited to the building itself. The interior and outside of the house, as well as the immediate vicinity and the neighbourhood where you live, should all be thoroughly investigated.
You can uncover methods to make your house a safer place for you and your loved ones by using these suggestions for home evaluation.
1. Consider your street view
It’s important to think about how visible your property is from both inside and outside when strolling through your neighbourhood. What can people within the house see from the outside? What can police officers on patrol, or your neighbours see inside? And what may attract robbers to your house in the first place?
Police and emergency personnel who are passing by should be able to easily see your house numbers. Emergency personnel will be able to find your home with the aid of numbers that are correctly painted. If any things are blocking a burglar’s view of your house from the street, get rid of them. Intruders won’t feel unnoticed by you, your neighbours, or the police if you do it this way. A thief is more likely to look elsewhere if they feel there is a greater chance of being apprehended.
A potential burglar’s choice can also be greatly influenced by a home’s curb attractiveness. While you want your house to look occupied and well-kept, a lovely garden might also give potential burglars the impression that the inside of the house is appealing. Be wary of leaving any valuables out in the open, as a thief will be able to see any cash, jewellery, gadgets, or firearms kept in plain sight. Hedge plants with sharp stems and branches can deter thieves from approaching your windows and keep them from getting a better look at your possessions.
2. Look out for potential hiding places
Maintaining the visibility of driveways, doors, windows, and gates is essential. Remove any obstructions from the perimeter of your home where potential burglars could conceal themselves. Vegetation that has grown out of control can offer adequate cover for robbers to enter undetected. You can reduce common hiding places by controlling the growth of bushes and trees using the following advice:
- To avoid being hidden beneath bushes below windowsills, trim the bushes.
- To leave legs and feet exposed, prune high plants away from the ground.
- Reduce tree limbs and branches to create a clear view of your land.
- To make the tree more difficult to climb, prune tree limbs such that none are closer to the ground than two metres.
Additionally, you need to make sure that any security cameras have a clear, well-lit view. Keep vandal-proof floodlights on at night to eliminate shadows that could serve as a convenient hiding place for thieves. To illuminate the front, back, and sides of the home as well as any dark roads or entrances, think about installing motion sensor alarms. Motion-sensor lighting can assist in securing garages in addition to safeguarding the exterior of your home.
3. Safeguard all exterior doors that lead into and out of the house
This is where you start calculating how much is required to secure the home’s entrances. Since doors are readily kicked in to gain access into your home, they must all be safeguarded. Yes, even the doors you might not open frequently. When you choose an interactive security solution, this will also assist you to watch and log the traffic entering and exiting your house. (Note the number of door sensors you’ll need to prevent trespassers from entering your property.)
4. The interior of your home is inspected for home security
Any home will gain a critical additional degree of security from a monitored security alarm system. Although burglar alarm systems cannot stop burglaries, a system with glass break sensors, internal motion detectors, and contacts on all outside doors will immediately alert you to a break-in so that you can take prompt action. The audible siren alert may tempt burglars to leave before any theft takes place by making them feel hurried.
For broader protection, incorporate other security options like video surveillance, fire detectors, and smart home automation into your personalised security system.
5. Protecting individual property
In a fireproof safe, keep private documents and sensitive information. If the goal is to protect valuables, go with a security safe instead. For increased security, your safe should be secured with bolts and possibly be covered by a false enclosure.
It is crucial to shred documents containing personal or financial information before discarding them in the trash. Finer shreds make it harder to put back together and lessen the chance of identity theft. Consider gradually blending shreds into your trash for further protection rather than discarding all of your shredded documents at once.
Keep track of the serial numbers for any pricey items, especially electronics. All flat-screen televisions, computers, laptops, speakers, and mobile gadgets ought to have unique serial numbers that can help the police locate stolen property. Do not forget to include your garage’s contents in your documentation. Bicycles, power tools, and lawnmowers can all be quite useful to robbers.
Take pictures of all your possessions, especially anything without a serial number, such as jewellery or collectables. Any valuables missed by previous inventory techniques can be included in a digital walk-through of your property. Update this video regularly and keep it in the cloud, off-site, with your other data. Even if all of your technological devices are stolen, you still want access.
Also learn about The Importance of a Physical Security Risk Assessment for Businesses.