Most homeowners think that locking their doors at night is enough of a strategy to ensure their security and safety. However, this isn’t the case – and many homeowners even diminish the level of security at their household by making particular strategic mistakes or poor habits that can make their home more of a target for burglars. In this blog entry, the residential security experts here at Green Locksmith Daytona will detail the most common home security mistakes that we see homeowners make.
Trusting Simple Fences Too Much
People place too much stock in fences – especially tall fences mainly meant for privacy. Many burglars actually try to stake out homes with tall enes specifically so that they will be less easily spotted by neighbors. It’s OK if you already have a fence in place for safety in order to protect children or pets- just keep in mind that the fence shouldn’t be considered a security device in and of itself.
Homes That Appear Empty
Burglars search for homes that look unoccupied, with signs that signal the absence of a family like a full or spelling over a mailbox. If you’re away, arrange to have the post office reroute your mail to a neighbor or family member. We recommend placing a burglar deterrent light at the front of your home, as well as attaching timers to interior lights to have them automatically turn on at intervals to make it appear that people aren’t home.
Quality Exterior Door Locks
Ensure that your exterior door locks are in top-shape. Replace worn out locks with high quality Grade 1 deadbolt locks made of strong metals like steel, with zero plastic. Deadbolts should always be paired with reinforced strike plates and screws of at least 3 inch lengths.
Smart Security System Control Placement
Ensure that the control pads for security systems like alarms, door sensors, motion detectors, or window sensors are placed in a smart and strategic location. These devices help sound a loud alarm when unlawful activity is detected – as well as automatically notifying the authorities. It’s essential that control pads for these devices AREN’T placed in areas where they can be seen from outdoors – where a potential burglar can see whether the system is currently armed or deactivated in order to determine the best time to break into your house. Systems should be placed in areas that are both easy to access in a hurry from the interior, but not SO easy to access as to be easily seen from outside, or tampered immediately after an unlawful home entry.