There are a lot of things you can do to make your house or apartment safer, especially during the holidays, when porch pirates may come out of hiding to steal packages. You can protect your space in a number of ways, such as with home security systems or devices or with cheaper, do-it-yourself security tools.
We put together a simple list of the 10 best, easiest, and least expensive things you can do to protect your home and keep thieves away to help you with your home security checklist. (You can also check out our list of the best video doorbells and six places every home should have security cameras.)
10 Ideas to Keep Burglars Away
1. Lock your windows and doors.
Locking your doors and windows is the first and easiest thing you can do to keep people out of your home, but how many of us do it every time? Burglars often look for easy things to break into, and a door or window that isn't locked is just that. Even if you are home, you should keep them locked. And before you leave the house, make sure all the doors and windows on the first floor are locked.
You can also keep track of your doors with some devices. Smart locks can be set to lock automatically at certain times, and door and window sensors can tell if a door or window has been left open. Which leads us to our next piece of advice.
2. Upgrade your door locks
If your locks aren't very good, locking your doors and windows might not be enough. First, make sure that all of your outside doors have deadbolts. This will make it harder for people to get in. While you're at it, make sure your door frames and hinges are strong enough to withstand a break-in attempt. Older doors or hinges that are easy to see can be a risk you don't need. Lastly, as was said above, you can get smart locks that you can use from afar.
3. Get a security system for your home
Installing a home security system is one of the best ways to keep people out and let you know if your home has been broken into. A home without a security system is about three times more likely to be broken into, according to the data. If an intruder sees a security camera or a sign that says you have a security system, they'll probably move on.
Outside the house, there is a Vivint camera.
One of the best ways to protect your home from burglars all around is with a home security system.
Home security cameras are a great way to protect your home in another way. Security cameras can tell you if someone is in your yard or on your front porch, and door and window sensors can tell you if someone is in your home or trying to get in. Depending on the security company you hire, they may also call the police for you.
Security systems don't have to be too expensive either. There are many inexpensive security cameras and great do-it-yourself security systems, as well as stand-alone devices, that you can set up yourself on a budget.
4. Keep your valuables hidden
Some burglars may check out possible targets ahead of time to make sure they only break into homes with valuables. So, it's best not to put your expensive things in places where thieves can easily see them as they walk by. For example, don't leave expensive tools or bikes out in the open, close your garage door, and don't leave expensive electronics, purses, jewelry, cash, and other big-ticket items in front of open windows. You could also put up window coverings like curtains or blinds to keep people from looking in.
5. Put up lights outside.
Burglars don't want to feel like they're being watched when they break into a house. Outdoor lights can help make that happen. Since these crimes often happen when no one is home, lights outside may make the intruder move on. Instead of leaving your outdoor light on all the time, you could buy lights with motion sensors that turn on when they sense movement. A person who breaks in will be surprised by the light, which might scare them away.
And if you want to go a step further, there are a lot of outdoor security cameras you can buy. Boosting your video-surveillance system can keep your family and property as safe as possible. You can do this with both high-end and low-cost devices.
6. Lock your garage
People work hard to keep their homes safe, but they often forget about their garages. Sadly, that can be a simple way for someone to get into your home. First, make sure that all of your garage's regular doors and windows are locked. Next, you might want to keep your garage door opener at home instead of in your car, where it could be stolen. Lastly, you should keep the door between your garage and house locked. So, even if someone gets into your garage, they won't be able to get into your house.
As with door locks, you can buy a smart garage door opener that can be added later. With these devices, you can check on your garage when you're not there, control it from afar, and set it to close at certain times.
7. Use your hide-a-key wisely.
If you have a key to your house under your doormat or in a flowerpot on your porch, you might want to move it. These are the most common places where people hide spare keys, so thieves will look there first. Instead, think about giving the extra key to a neighbor or friend you can trust. If you need to keep a spare key outside your home, look for safer options, like a hidden combination lockbox, or at least a place far from your door that is out of the way. A little extra care and awareness can help keep your home safe in a big way.
Two spare house keys in close-up.
If you get locked out of your house, spare keys can save your life. But they can also make it much easier for someone to break in.
8. Make it look like someone is home
Most thieves don't want to break into your house while you are there. They would rather find a home that is already empty and move in and out as quickly as possible. So, one of the best ways to keep burglars away is to always make it look like someone is home.
During the day, this could mean leaving a light or TV on inside the house. If you're going to be gone for a long time, like on vacation, have a neighbor or family member pick up your mail. A pile of mail can be a sign that someone isn't home for a while.
Even more convincing is that many smart lights can be set to turn on and off at random times to make it look like someone is home.
9. You might want to buy a safe.
In a perfect world, no one would ever break into your house, so you'd never have to worry about your valuables being stolen. Even the best-laid plans don't always work out. And if an intruder does get in, you want to make sure they can only get away with as little as possible.
First, think about buying a safe or lockbox where you can keep cash, jewelry, important papers, and other things you don't want a thief to take. When you're not using larger items, like electronics, you can make them harder to steal by putting them somewhere out of sight. Thieves want to get in and out of your home as quickly as possible, so even the smallest deterrent can help.
10. Make your front porch hard to break into
It's also important to remember that home security includes your front porch and that you need to keep porch pirates from taking your packages. Every year in the US alone, billions of packages are delivered, especially around the holidays. Many of these packages sit unattended for hours, attracting thieves. One recent study found that 43% of respondents had a package stolen in 2020, which is more than the 36% who said the same thing in 2019.
With porch piracy on the rise, there are several ways to keep your things safe, such as buying a porch lockbox or a mailbox sensor, a small device that attaches to your mailbox and alerts you when it's opened. You could also ask for a signature at the time of delivery to make sure your packages don't just sit there until you get home.
In conclusion
No one wants to have someone break into their home. By using the tips on this list, you can stop burglars from coming into your home and keep your family and things safe. You can start small by focusing on just a few things on this list. After you've done those, you can move on to the next things on the list. With each small change you make, your home and your family will be that much safer.
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