Lockout Tips

Improve Your Home Security and Prevent Burglaries

The holidays are a prime time for thieves to break into your home. You’re out shopping more, and costly presents are collecting in the closets and under the tree. 24 HR Lockouts has some tips to help prevent a home invasion.

Home Invasion or Burglary?

A home invasion is different from a burglary or break-in. Generally, a home invasion in different in that some form of violence is used to enter the home. This means some form of forcible entry like kicking in a door or smashing a window. In addition, a home invasion describes a break-in when you are at home and includes endangerment to your physical safety. A burglary takes place in a home when the residents are out and the criminal enters without violence such as through an unlocked door or window.

Stay Protected from a Home Invasion

1. Make your house impenetrable. This means fortifying the points of entry into your home. This includes burglar-proofing your windows and doors. This can be adding protective film on your windows and deadbolts locks to your doors. You may want to invest in heavy-duty doors of solid wood that are difficult to break by kicking or other force.
2. Use additional security deterrents. Add multiple security deterrents to make a home invasion unlikely. This may be security cameras, doorbell cameras, motion sensors, monitored alarm systems and heavy-duty locks for your garage door.
3. Make your home less of a target. Home invaders target homes in advance. This means making your security efforts obvious and visible to potential thieves. The surveillance cameras should be in plain sight. Your monitored alarm system should provide you with a yard sign to display. You may even want to make it seem as if nothing extremely valuable is inside. Rather than letting the yard go, it means not displaying anything attractive outside.
4. Always keep your home occupied. This doesn’t mean ending your life and never leaving the house. However, it means making your home look occupied at all times. If you go away, use lamp timers to turn them on and off at nights in different rooms. Stop the newspaper and mail delivery while you are gone. If you have pets, use a pet sitter rather than taking them to a pet hotel. Doorbell cameras are great for being able to monitor what’s happening, and you can respond as if you are right there. Lastly, don’t post to social media about your vacations or other trips until you are back home.

24 HR Lockouts want you and your family to remain safe this holiday season. Remember to lock your doors and windows. Consider additional security measures, and have a safe, memorable season.