Since 2003, crimes reported to authorities decreased 35 percent. Even though Canada is a safer place to live, work, and raise a family, it’s still important to practice proper safety steps to keep your home secure. Listed below are a few ways to keep your home protected against the few criminals that remain on our streets.
Take the Primary Steps
The most basic step you need to take to protect your home is to keep your valuables out of site. This applies to the valuables in your home, in your yard, and in your car. It also applies to the car itself.
Keep your shades and shutters tightly closed in rooms with electronics and other valuables. This is especially important when you are not home or when you are out of the room. If a burglar doesn’t know what’s in your home, they won’t feel tempted to try and take it from you. This also means to properly dispose of the packaging for expensive new purchases. When you buy new toys, whether for yourself or for your children, don’t advertise your purchase by leaving empty boxes on the curb.
You should avoid keeping items in your yard or driveway altogether. If you have children, make sure they put away their toys after they play with them outside. And once you finish your weekly lawn care rituals, do the same for your equipment. A broom many not cost much, but having to replace one is an annoyance you shouldn’t have to deal with.
The next step you need to take to keep you home, family, and valuables safe is to keep things locked. Theft is a crime of opportunity. If a thief thinks they can get away with taking something that doesn’t belong to them, they probably will. If your doors remain locked, most thieves will simply move on to an easier target. Be sure to have reliable locks installed on your doors by a trusted locksmith in Newmarket, Aurora or King City.
Make Your Home Look Secure
Once you have taken care of the basics, make your home look more secure. The appearance of your home goes a long way with what people think about it. This is especially true with criminals. A home that looks well maintained on the outside gives the impression that the home is taken care of and therefore well secured. Consider these three things when improving the appearance of your home to make it look more secure.
Improve Your Curb Appeal
Keeping your lawn and shrubbery well maintained is one of the most important things to making your home look secure. This means keeping your yard trimmed, leaves raked, and shrubs neatly cut. This sends the message you care about your home. If you care about the outside appearance, you are more likely to protect the inside.
Additionally, a thief can tell when you are home and when you are on vacation by the way you maintain your lawn. If you plan on being away for an extended period of time, hire a service or a trusted neighbourhood kid to perform these yard services for you. A landscaping service fee is a small price to pay for security.
Turn a Light On
Security lights help you secure your home’s perimeter at night. Placing these lights in strategic areas on the outside of your home can create a barrier of light no criminal would want to cross. There are two types of security lights on the market today: all-night and motion-activated lights. All night lights continually keep your yard bright on the darkest nights, while motion-activated lights only shine when they sense movement.
Film It
As you install new security lights, you may want to consider investing in security cameras. With advances in home security technology, these devices are less conspicuous than they were in the past and you can place them in more areas. Install these tiny cameras and you can know exactly what’s going on outside your home.
Make it Difficult to Get in
If you’ve followed these steps and thieves still want to enter your home, ensure you have the correct hardware installed to bar their entrance. This should include having quality doors and locks.
The first thing you should do is check to ensure your exterior door is solid. A solid exterior door will prevent crumpling when kicked or battered.
You can also upgrade your hardware. Most new homes don’t have quality door’s hinges and strike plate installed in their exterior doors. To improve these items, choose heavy-duty material and longer screws.
The last thing you should do to improve the safety of your door is ensure you have a quality lock. This should include a highly rated entry handset and a quality deadbolt. Together, these items will limit the access a criminal has to your home.
The last thing you should do when trying to keep your home safe is make sure only the people you want have access to it. Only give trusted friends and family keys to your home. If someone you don’t trust gets a key to your home, have a reputable locksmith in Newmarket or King City change the locks. This will keep you, your family, and your valuables safe.
Affordable Lock is a locksmith in Markham serving the Greater Toronto Area, including Scarborough, Aurora, North York, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Vaughan and Stouffville. With over 30 years of experience, we pride ourselves on looking after your commercial or residential locksmith needs. Affordable Lock’s showroom in Markham showcases a wide selection of keys, locks and an assortment of other security products for your home or business. Whether you are looking to upgrade your home or business’s security, or solve security issues, Affordable Lock Services Inc. in Markham is here for you! Give us a call today.