Whether you are a landlord with investment properties or living in your own family home, choosing the right security barriers help protect your valuable asset – and everything inside it too. To help prepare your home for summer holidays and those times when you might be away from it for extended periods, taking a close look at your security – everything from security grilles and window locks, to high-tech security systems – is a smart way to keep intruders out and you and your possessions safe.
How To Protect Your Home
Fancy a bit of make believe? Pretend to be a burglar and look at your home through fresh eyes. As you walk towards your front door, look for anything that might help you achieve your goal.
Tools left laying around can be the perfect assistance to burglars by giving them something to use to pry open a door or window, or even break glass.
Hammers, drills, shovels and similar are always best locked in a garage or garden shed – far from the reach of an unwanted someone who could use them as a break-in tool, or even a weapon.
Is there a window left open or a door left unlocked? Sometimes, in our rush to get to that important meeting or school drop-off, we race out the door without ensuring even the most basic home security. Make it a habit to lock your doors and windows when you are out – and when you are asleep at night. If you’ve got children, or elderly relatives, talk to them about doing the same. Protecting yourself doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Sometimes, just some basic common sense can make a huge difference to your safety – and the protection of your valuables.
Effective Alarm Systems
Investing in an alarm system isn’t within everyone’s means but if it’s important enough to you, one stress-free way to fund it might just be through your mortgage. Refinancing to renovate or repair your home is possible with the right amount of equity – something a trusted mortgage broker can help you with.
If you do install an alarm system, make sure you invest the extra to ensure that all wiring related to the alarm system is concealed. A professional burglar always looks for places to disconnect security systems and if you don’t give them that opportunity easily, they are more likely to move on to another property and leave yours protected.
Is Anyone Home?
If a burglar thinks you aren’t home, they are more likely to attempt a break in. Yes, those stories about home invasions are real – and they are frightening – but it’s important to note that they still are in the minority.
Even if you are away, making sure your home has the appearance of being lived in can be the difference your property needs to stay safe. Getting to know your neighbours is a positive for lots of reasons – and when you go away, it really proves its worth.
A good neighbour can be relied on to empty your letterbox, tidy your garden, move your car in and out, perhaps, and even enter your property once a day to close and open blinds and turn lights on and off.
Don’t keep spare keys in obvious spots, like the letterbox, under the pot plant nearest the front door, or under the door mat.
If you must leave a key out for a tradesperson or neighbour, find an unusual hiding spot – and don’t broadcast it.
Choosing A Security System That’s Right For You
Professional security systems can be expensive, depending on how detailed you want it to be. Sensor lights are a good start, then the budget varies, based on whether you want an alarm system that simply sounds a siren, or one that is professionally monitored 24 hours a day.
Security intercom systems can add another level of security by helping you screen visitors before they enter your property’s boundaries.
To choose a system that’s right for you, talk to a security professional about what your needs and concerns are.
To ensure you are choosing an ethical, experienced company who won’t try to up-sell you on costly equipment you may not really need, ask your neighbours, friend and family for personal recommendations before making the financial investment.
Speaking to your trusted insurance specialist about the minimum expectation of your home security for any theft claims to be honoured by your insurer is also a smart way to approach the issue, as it helps you understand what you must have versus what you might like to have – something that could save you both dollars, and the loss of the things that matter most to you.
If you need advice for a home loan, business or commercial loan, self-managed super fund loan, or a vehicle or equipment finance loan, speak to a broker at Lending Specialists. We have a wealth of experience under our belt and a robust network to connect you to the right industry professional for the loan you need.
