How to Keep Your Home Secure

Christmas has always been a prime time for petty thievery.

With such an emphasis on buying expensive presents for loved ones and constantly going out to festive parties, people often become victims of house burglaries. Imagine walking downstairs on Christmas day to find your presents, tree and decorations gone. It’s a horror none of us could bear thinking about! So we’ve generated a few top tips to keep out the crooks this Christmas.

Invest in secure windows

It may be an obvious point, but the majority of burglaries take place when a window is simply left open. So if you’re in a rush to the latest office party, make sure you think twice when leaving your home. It also helps if you invest in some quality windows.

Tilt and turn windows are functional and secure double locking handles and a multipoint locking system mean that they will intimidate anyone looking to pinch your presents.

A visible alarm system

What you see is what you get! If your back door is hanging off its hinges and your bathroom window is always left open then you’re asking for trouble.

At the same time not everyone wants to invest in the brightest alarm system which constantly flashes neon orange.

If your tastes are a bit more subtle, then simply make your alarm visible on the side of your house (it doesn’t have to be flashing!) and you’ll be sure to scare off the local burglars. Just make sure you don’t forget to switch it on when you go away.

Keep your valuables out of sight

This is particularly relevant if you live in a city centre. With hundreds of people walking by your house or apartment every day the last thing you need to do is advertise the latest iPad.

If clearing away your things before you go to work is not your top priority then a good solution is to keep your blinds or curtains shut. Some people don’t need any encouragement!

Common sense

Ultimately, you can have all the security gizmos in the world and still leave the front door unlocked.

If you really want to keep your home secure this Christmas, just make sure you use a bit of intelligence. Double check the windows and the door, and don’t forget to switch your alarm on if you’re going away!

While the festive period can get stressful, a bit of extra thought can really make the difference.

***This is a guest post***

By Rachel Newcombe.