Top Tips for Securing Your Home

With the latest spate of home break-ins around Brisbane, it’s more important than ever to make the security of your home a top priority. Survey findings recently reported in The Courier Mail found Queensland remains the capital of both car theft and break ins. Alarmingly, a number of residents were found not locking their parked cars or securing their homes. There are several ways to boost your home security and make your house a turn-off for potential thieves. We’ve curated our top tips for securing your home and keeping your loved ones and valuables safe and secure.

1. Obtain a survey of your home security

Engage a qualified locksmith to complete a survey of your home security to identify any vulnerable areas that could benefit from an upgrade.

2. Install deadlocks

Deadlocks are a simple and effective method of securing your home.

3. Upgrade your screen door locks

Upgrading your screen door locks with a triple locking mechanism can provide an added protection against thieves gaining access to your home. Triple locks are significantly more secure as opposed to a single lock for the simple reason that it locks at three points on the door jam and can’t be levered at the top or bottom.

4. Keyed window locks

Like screen door locks, window locks can also provide an extra layer of security for your home. They come in a wide range of styles and finishes, made to fit various window types. An added benefit of window locks is that they can act as a visual deterrent to potential thieves. We recommend having your window locks keyed alike, reducing the number of keys you need to lock up your home.

5. Install a home safe

Installing a fire and theft rated home safe is an effective way to secure your precious jewellery and valuables as well as important documents and data from being stolen or from being destroyed in fire or flood. It is also a secure place to keep your car keys. In many cases, it may be a necessity to have a good quality safe in order to insure your valuables for their full value. In this instance, cash rating is important. A cash rating is usually shown as a dollar value, e.g. $10,000, and is a guide to the amount an insurance company is likely to cover if the safe is broken into and the contents stolen. Very cheap safes usually have no cash rating, making them insufficient for insurance purposes.

A fire rating indicates how long you can expect the safe to protect its contents when subjected to heat and flame. We always recommend safes are bolted to the floor. It is incredible the number of safes we’ve seen carried out of homes over the years. To shop our range of safes click here or phone 07 3854 1154.

6. Hide your keys

Never leave your keys hanging in plain sight or in an obvious hiding spot, e.g. under the doormat. It might sound simple but you would be surprised how often this occurs. And lock your car, even if it is in a secure garage. Better yet, place your keys in a safe each night.

7. Install security lights

Installing outdoor sensor lights can be a great way to deter thieves and to alert you to any movement or activity outside your home. Similarly, having timer lights switch on when you are away from the property may help to also help to make your home a harder target.

8. Install security surveillance cameras/alarm system

Closed-circuit CCTV cameras, particularly installed in obvious sight, are a key defence that can be a big deterrent for potential thieves. Not only do they allow you to monitor activity around your property but they can also allow you to provide valuable evidence in the unfortunate event that an intruder gains access to your property.

9. Display security signs or stickers

Let thieves know you are serious about home security by displaying security signs or stickers on windows and on/near doors and other entry points. It may make them think twice before attempting access to your property if they are likely to be caught on camera or set off an alarm.