10 Ways To Keep Your Home Safe This Summer

It’s said, a vacation is having nothing to do all day...and all day to do it! That may be true for the vacationer but not for burglars. Your vacation is when burglars go to work. This season, hand criminals their pink slips!  These tips on safeguarding your home while you’re away ensure your vacation–and return–are stress-free. The key? Make it as hard as possible for criminals to victimize you. 

1. Make It Look Like You’re Home

Leave some lights and a radio on–whether you’re gone for the day or the week.  Use timers to switch lights off and on throughout the day and night.

2. Lock Your Doors and Windows

You’d be surprised how many people don’t lock their doors and windows. If you’re leaving the house, lock the doors–including the garage door. And, add a solid deadbolt lock: It’s an excellent deterrent to thieves.

3. Never Hide a Key Outside

Burglars know all the secret hiding places. Leave it with a trusted family member or neighbor instead.  

4. Drill and Pin Your Windows

Window locks can be jimmied; pins can’t. Again, don’t issue an open invitation: Close and lock your windows when you leave the house.  

5. Brace Your Sliding Glass Doors

Insert a sturdy brace into your slider track to prevent the door from being lifted out of its frame.*   

6. Install Good Lighting Outside

Expose those dark corners where thieves may lurk using motion sensor lighting and porch lights.*

7. Trim Your Bushes and Hedges 

Don’t play hide and seek with law-breakers; keep shrubs and trees near windows and doors pruned.* 

8. Stop Your Mail and Newspaper Deliveries

A driveway full of newspapers is a green light to burglars. When you go on vacation, stop all deliveries or ask a neighbor to collect them for you.

9. Add a Dog to the Family.

Man’s best friend–even a small one–can make a criminal think twice about entering your home.*

  

10. Invest in an Alarm System.

Burglars will often avoid a house with a direct line to law enforcement, such as an alarm system.

Ready for a carefree and  relaxing getaway? According to Paul Mengert, President of Association Management Group (AMG), one of the Carolinas’ largest professional homeowner association managers with five offices in North and South Carolina, the best way to keep your home safe while you’re away is simple: Be a good neighbor. “Knowledge is power when it comes to fighting crime in your neighborhood,” he said. “Get to know your neighbors and your association and its volunteers and leaders so you can keep an eye on things for each other. And get to know your local law enforcement. Schedule a free home safety inspection. Call and ask them to do free drive-bys when you go on vacation.  Encourage your association to organize a Community Watch program. Criminals won’t stay where they aren’t welcome. Neighbors who are connected to each other are the best deterrent to crime.”

For AMG’s Guide to a Safer Home, email jpaz@amgworld.com.

*Check with your association bylaws about their policies on this. 

This article, published by Association Management Group, is designed to help discourage crime. For more information, consult your local police department. Association Management Group has taken care in the preparation of this article, but the information should not be solely relied on to make safety and security decisions. Please consult a qualified expert or professional for advice about your particular situation.