Summer is almost in full swing and that means more days spent outside in the garden, more nights spent with the windows open, and more weeks or weekends spent away. But what does this mean for the security of your home?

Summertime can be seen as golden for thieves and criminals as we can get distracted by the sunnier weather and warmer temperatures. Whether you’ve booked to go on holiday for a week or two or just spend a lot of time in your back garden, we’ve got some ways to help keep your home secure as possible this summer.

Make your home look natural

It’s a good idea to create the impression that someone is still home, particularly when you’ve gone on holiday for a weekend or a few weeks. You want to make your house look as lived in as possible whilst you’re out of it to help prevent your house from being targeted.

From leaving curtains and blinds open to leaving a little bit of mess in the living room, you can help to deter thieves. Opportunistic burglars won’t see any opportunity in a house that’s got someone in it!

Keep them shut

Don’t go leaving your doors or windows open when you can’t see them. If you’re going to have them open, you should be able to keep an eye on them at all times. That way, you can make sure you don’t get any nasty surprises of break-ins or robberies.

Of course, when we hit summer it’s becomes more and more common for you to keep your windows open when you are sleeping. However, it’s widely known that majority of domestic burglaries happen at night. If you’re concerned about your household in this way, you should install some sort of restriction on your windows so they can’t be opened wide enough for someone to climb in.

Be on guard

If you are simply schmoozing in the back garden and enjoying the sun, be careful not to get too relaxed. Keep an eye and an ear out as much as you can so you can see or hear anyone approaching the house – it might be guests for your barbeque party but better to be safe than sorry.

A recent development in security technology means you can even install a security camera at the front of your house and connect it to your smart phone. This is great for when you’re out in the back garden, out at the shops, or even sunbathing in Spain!

Keep valuables out of sight

Whilst expensive pottery and glassware is great for decoration, it’s not a good idea for you to leave them within strangers’ gazes when you’re away. If you’ve got them displayed openly on your windowsill without your watchful eye, you risk unwanted attention from criminals and the consequences.

Double up on locks

Don’t be afraid to go all out on your locks – they are off-putting to even the cleverest, strongest and slyest of thieves. As one of their biggest obstacles, your house will benefit from visible locks. Nothing says ‘you’re not getting in here’ more than quality locks on your doors and windows.

Inform your neighbours

If you are going away for a few days or more, you should inform your neighbours, or your friends and family that are local. It’s best to keep them in the loop about your whereabouts so they know to watch out for any unusual activity.

You could even give them a spare key for them to give your house the once round every so often whilst you’re away. For example, they could pick up your post as, after all, the last thing you want is the tell-tale sign of post piling up by your door.

Play with lighting

Another tactic that can be linked to making your house appear ‘lived in’ is to play around with your lighting. Having the porch light constantly off can be a giveaway that your house is empty, but leaving it on can be costly.

If possible, it’s worthwhile playing around with your lighting’s settings. You can use a timer to make it come on at certain points in the night. A bright light coming on is a sure-fire way to scare off any burglars!

Set your alarm

Having an alarm set while you’re away or out of the house is an obvious option for home security. Not only is it a way to deter criminals, it’s also a way to raise awareness to your neighbours immediately. This provides you with the reassurance that your house is at minimal risk.

There are so many options for home security these days, and it’s worthwhile making the most of them. Having your house targeted by criminals can be both traumatic and expensive, so investing in quality technology (and locks) is very sensible.

Have home insurance

Along with having household alarms, homeowners should have a home insurance policy in place. In the unfortunate circumstance of theft, or even natural disasters like flooding, you can be covered. There are so many home insurance policies out there, so shop around and find one that suits you, your situation and your budget.

If you’ve already got a policy in place, make sure you check through all the details so you can confirm what is protected in your household and what’s not. You want to be able to claim for any losses if you suffer from any unfortunate situation like robbery, fire or flooding.

Keep your valuables elsewhere

One way to save money on your home insurance, and to give you the ultimate peace of mind, is to keep your valuables out of the house in a safe place. Hiding your valuables under your bed doesn’t give you the security you need when it comes to experienced or even not-so-experienced thieves.

By investing in a safety deposit box, you can be assured that your most valuable possessions are under tight security 24 hours a day. The high-level security system of vaults and safety deposit boxes means you can feel at ease wherever you are, and even offer you the convenience of accessing your box whenever you want.

To find out more about how you could benefit from a safety deposit box, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Deposit Vaults right here.