New Home | Home Safety Tips

Homeowner Tips | Home Safety Tips | Home Maintenance Tips
Mold Control Tips | Home Insurance Tips

ALWAYS Lock all your doors - Most unlawful entry is through doorways. And about 50% of those are through doors left unlocked. An unlocked lock is not a lock!

Deadbolt each snd every exterior entrance - Most burglaries are the result of forcible entry. Every exterior entryway into your home needs a deadbolt with a full 1" throwbolt.

Intruders prefer the shadows - An intruder's greatest fear is being seen. Don't give them a place to hide. Make sure all points of entrance are lit.

Watch out for windows in your security - Locks less than an arm's length away from glass panels require glass brick, grates or grilles. Where building codes allow, install double cylinder deadbolts that need to be opened with a key from the inside as well as the outside. A sliding glass door is lifted into position when installed - and easily lifted out if you're not careful. Adjust screw in the door track to limit clearance. Add a wooden dowel or broom handle too. Retrofit ground floor windows with locking hardware.

Maintain the appearance of occupancy at all times - Use automatic timers to turn on different lights at different times. Have a trusted neighbor pick up your mail/newspapers and occasionally use your garbage cans. Most break-ins occur between 10am and 3pm. Put a radio or a TV on a timer. Turn the telephone ringer down.

Hidden keys may as well be an unlocked door - Never hide keys under a mat, or taped above a door jamb: Burglars know these places. Leave a key with a trusted neighbor. Don't place ID tags on your key or key rings.

How to help the police help you - House numbers should be at least 4" - 6" high, visible from the street, reflective and should be illuminated at night. Report strangers running through private yards or alley ways or anyone looking into windows of houses or parked cars. Call the police. Don't worry about false alarms. Better to be safe than sorry. Call 911 if an emergency threatens human life or property. If not an emergency call your local police department directly.

Burglery protection and prevention - Empty stereo and television boxes in the alley is a strong temptation to "inquire within". Hide your valuables or keep them under lock and key. Engrave your valuables with "THIS PROPERTY STOLEN FROM..." and include your driver's license number. Marked property is difficult to fence and easier to recover.