It is everyone’s worse fear: a stranger invading your safe space and robbing you of your hard earned belongings. An incident like this can put an emotional and financial strain on top of all of life’s other responsibilities. But you can take five simple steps today to prevent this kind of turmoil in the future.
1. Exterior Home Maintenance
One thing that attracts thieves is the appearance that the home owners are away. Believe it or not, they do not want confrontation as much as you. By maintaining the outside appearance of your home, this gives the message that the owners are around often.
In the winter, make sure that you are clearing your driveway and walkway in a timely manner when it snows. If we are out of town, you will want to make arrangements for someone to clear your snow for you. If you are the only unplowed street in a neighborhood, it appears as though you are not home and will make you a target.
In the warmer months, you will want to maintain your lawn. This serves a few purposes – not only does it give the message that you are home often, it also is a safety precaution. If you keep your landscaping under control – especially bushes around the house – this will give a thief less places to hide.
2. Mail Management
Another way that your home give the message that you are not home is a full mail box. Make sure that when you are travelling you have the post office hold your mail.
You will also want to secure the safety of incoming mail by signing up for USPS Informed Delivery. This is a service provided by the US Postal Service where you are provided a digital preview of all mail coming to your house in a given day. This is a great tool to know if important mail was stolen from your mail box, including checks to cash, blank checks, or a credit card application.
3. Garbage Maintenance
Two things to consider with garbage maintenance is what you are telling the outside world about what is in your home and also when you are home and when you are not.
You will want to make sure you are not leaving your garbage cans out at the street when you leave or to have someone bring them in for you. Empty trash cans on the curb indicate that you are not home and are a target for theft.
Another message your trash can send is that there are items in your home worth stealing. If you have recently purchased a new large television, computer, etc. – make sure the boxes and packaging are not easily identifiable in your garbage. This is like an “Open” neon sign to home invaders.
4. Camera and Security System warnings
Consider installing security cameras to your home. While this will be helpful in the event that the authorities will need to gather evidence in the event of a break-in, it can also serve as a deterrent. Make sure that it is known you have cameras on the premises. One study that surveyed over 400 incarcerated burglars found that security system signage was one of the top 10 deterrents when selecting a home to break into.
5. Automated home system
As discussed above, making it appear that you are home is a significant deterrent to thieves. If you have a smart home system, set your lights to turn on & off randomly to make it appear as though someone is home. If you have a smart home with SEi, you can also set up routines so that if someone rings the doorbell or the camera detects motion your front lights turn on.
Contact Us to Keep Your Home Secure
Protect your home today by knowing all the options SEi provides for the safety of your home. Contact SEI Security today to discuss how we can ensure you have all the tools you need.
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