Top 5 Ways To Ensure Your Home Is Secure This Winter

Keeping your home environment safe during the winter will give you and your family peace of mind. Securing your home, whether it is for a day out or a holiday is important throughout the year but particularly when the nights draw in and your property becomes more vulnerable.

Here are 5 top tips to ensure overall security in your home.

1. Holidays

Piles of mail that haven’t been opened are a glaring sign that there is no one at the property. If you are going away for a period of time over the winter holidays then get a neighbour who you trust to empty your mail box or keep hold of it until your return. The Royal Mail now offer a fantastic service called ‘Keepsafe’, they will keep your post at the nearby sorting office for up to 2 months so that’s definitely worth considering if you are planning a longer vacation.

Never announce to the world on social media that you are away on holiday, it’s a prime way of burglars being able to organise targeted crime. Let your neighbour know that you are away and for how long, they will be able to keep an eye on your property and get in touch with you or the relevant services, such as the police, if needs be. Check your insurance policy too in case it needs updating.

2. Out of sight out of Mind

Always keep any valuables out of sight, and certainly move anything that can be seen from the roadside to a less vulnerable area of your home. Never leave car or door keys in view either, key safes are a good idea but change your code regularly and keep them out of sight too.

3. Security Lighting

Lighting is very important, put various indoor lights on timers to give the impression someone is at home and make sure that they turn on and off intermittently. This will portray to the outside world that there is potentially someone on the premises and ward off anyone trying to break and enter into your property.

4. Alarm Systems

A reliable alarm system should be installed that will sound loudly as soon as anyone enters building. Depending on what type you purchase, some of them can be linked to security firms to add that extra bit of reassurance.

5. Doors and windows

There is no doubt that window locks play a vital part in the security of your home. Window locks work well as a deterrent to burglars. Check the all of your doors and windows, before leaving the house, making sure that everything is shut and locked, even the small bathroom windows. Investigate the locks that are currently on your doors, are they secure or can they easily be pulled open or pushed in? A lot of older windows will only have catches or latches as a closing mechanism and offer very little protection against your home being broken into. So it is worth considering having specialist locks fitted.

Harry Price is a freelance writer and part time Artist who lives on the south coast, in a small fishing village.  He loves nothing more than long walks by the sea with his 3 crazy cocker spaniels.

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