News

New Home ownership and Home Rental Front Doorbell of Brick Home Keys inside Front Door of New Red Brick home

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations, over two million residential burglaries occur each year. This is a staggering number that continues to increase as criminals become more desperate for cash, valuable goods, and personal information that can be used to commit crimes like identity theft. Burglaries cost homeowners thousands of dollars in home repairs, replacement of stolen goods, and lost wages due to having to work with the police and insurance companies. Be proactive against victimization and get peace of mind of knowing that your home is secure when you’re not there with these simple home security tips:

Technology and Apps
Technology makes it possible for you to take charge of your own security. There are several home security companies out there that use surveillance cameras, audio technology, and wireless burglar alarm systems that are monitored 24/7 by an alarm monitoring center. You can download apps to your phone that send you automatic alerts when your system activates. These apps also allow you to remotely view your cameras, so you can see what is going on at your home instantly through live audio and video feeds.
 
Applying CPTED Principles
CPTED stands for Crime Prevention through Environmental Design and is easy to implement at your home. It involves making your home more visible to passersby and ensuring that would-be burglars can’t break in undetected. The basic concepts of CPTED include:

• Keeping your home and property well lit at night so criminals can’t hide under the cover of darkness.

• Keeping shrubs and trees around your home trimmed high at the bottom so they do not hide windows and doors that can be breached by a burglar.

• Adding signage around your property to send a clear message that you have a home security system.

Keep Your Vacation Plans Private
While it is great to get away and have a fun-filled vacation, avoid bragging about the good times on social media until you return home. Criminals scour Facebook, Instagram, and other social media sites in search of who is out of town so they can burglarize without the risk of confronting homeowners. Tell only who you must when you plan to be away, and make sure to update temporary phone numbers with your home security providers.

Apply these simple commonsense techniques to your home security plan and reduce the likelihood that you will be a victim of a burglary.

Home Security Tips to Consider