Keeping your dwelling secure is vitally important for the safety of your family and your possessions. Whether you are securing a vacation home you only use a few times a year, or are wanting to beef up your home security; start with the basics. It doesn’t matter if your family is the only one who uses the home or if you are renting it out as vacation property; these tips will help protect your investment.
The following are some of the safety measures you should take:
- Lock your doors and windows at all times when away from your property
- Install security cameras at all entrances of your home
- Install a security system with a monitoring service
Add a Surveillance Camera System
Having “eyes” on your house 24/7 is not possible without help. Surveillance systems are not as expensive as you think. Typically camera systems are either wireless or wired. A wired system has long cables run from a hard drive to the camera. This supplies power to the camera and records activity. Wireless systems can run off of batteries or have a power cord that has to be plugged into an outlet.
We have both wired and wireless battery operated cameras. Clearly a battery operated system is the easiest to install, but batteries can be expensive and depending on the sensitivity settings, need to be replaced often. Our wired system records continually 24 hours a day. This is beneficial if you need to investigate an incident that happened days before. Most systems have a terabyte of storage and will hold recording for close to 30 days. The oldest recordings drop off as new images are recorded.
Maintain Entry Points
Keeping intruders from being able to make entry to your home is paramount. This starts by making sure that those entry points are secure. A garage door that does not shut securely is just inviting thieves to steal your possessions. You need to invest in garage door repair to keep intruders out. It’s also imperative that you keep your garage door closed when you are not outside. Going in the house for the evening while your garage door is open is an invitation for someone to grab items and run.
In the same vein, if your entry doors are not latching properly, you and your possessions are vulnerable. I’m not suggesting that you barricade yourself in your home but if you have a door that can be blown open by the wind, this is clearly a problem. Having door hardware in good working order is not an expensive thing to do. If you have faulty door handles, gets those fixed so your house can be secured.
Keep Windows in Working Order
Let’s face it, your home has a lot more windows than doors. It seems like a no brainer, but if you have windows with locks that don’t work, this is a vulnerable spot. The same can be said if your windows don’t close all the way. You may think that if a broken window is on the second floor, you’re in the clear. Remember, if someone wants to make entry to your home badly enough, they’ll find a way to that second floor window. Think about getting get customizable sliding windows, that are easy to open but secure tightly. Don’t take for granted any vulnerable areas of your home.
You may want to be sure your blinds or drapes are closed when you’re not home to keep prying eyes from seeing your belongings.
Adding an Alarm System
A great investment to make is a new alarm system for your home. If you’re concerned with the cost of installation and monitoring; there are many alarm systems that you can install yourself. Having doors and windows set to alert if they are opened is a huge deterrent to anyone who has made illegal entry to your home.
Professional, monitored alarm companies often times run specials that offer installation for free or for a big discount. Most of these companies will require a long term contract so be careful when entering into an agreement for their services. An additional benefit to monitored systems is they will notify local police if a breach has been made and many will also notify the fire department if a fire is detected.
Hopefully you’ll never have to experience any kind of break in or burglary of your home. Help eliminate your chances of being a victim by beefing up your home security and following these simple tips to make your home more secure.
Protect from natural disasters
Be sure your all of your properties are in great working order. Repair any roof damage immediately. Be sure basements are sealed and there are no leaks. If you have damaged siding, you’re inviting disaster if you don’t repair it quickly. A vacation property that will not be used in winter can be vulnerable so be sure the home is winterized to avoid frozen pipes that could break and wreak havoc when you turn on the water.
If you live on the coast, install hurricane shutters on all of the windows. Try to think of any other natural weather occurrences that could hurt your property and do what it takes to keep it secure.
Use a property manager for vacation property
Hiring a property management company is a great way to be sure your vacation property stays in great shape. You can use them to keep the property clean and ready to rent at all times. They will also notice if there are any problems that need your attention.
Whether your vacation property or your primary residence, keeping your investment secure is a top priority.