Home Security Checklist July 31st, 2015
For most people, home feels like the safest place in the world. But if you’ve ever experienced a home invasion or a burglar scare, you know that feeling of safety can disappear in a moment. Even weeks, months, or years later, you can’t stop thinking about all of the ways a person could get in, where they would hide, what they would take.
Hopefully, you’ve managed to avoid this experience first-hand. But being a homeowner, the possibility is always in the back of your mind. You want to know your family is secure.
Luckily, there are a lot of good ways to prevent a break-in from occurring. Thieves don’t pick a house to target randomly; they can spot the signs of an easy entry. Read our home security checklist and find out if you have some room for improvement.
Is your home fully protected?
The Exterior
Is your home security system sign displayed prominently in the front and rear of the house?
Is the landscaping around your house trimmed down enough so that a full-grown adult could not easily hide behind them?
Is your address clearly visible from the street so that first responders can locate it quickly if they’re called?
Are all of the outdoor lights and flood lights on your home in working order? Do you check the light bulbs once a month to see if any have burned out?
Is your home automation system programmed to turn those outdoor lights on at night and while you’re out of town?
If you have a fence, do you keep the gate locked when not in use?
Interior
Do you have a home security system, installed professionally and monitored by 24-hour U.L.-Listed Central Stations?
Do you arm the system for “Home” at night and “Away” when you leave?
Do you really arm it every time you leave?
Are there wireless security cameras installed in your home?
Are infrequently used valuables, collectibles, or firearms kept in a large, heavy, safe? (Bonus if it’s fastened to the floor or wall.)
Doors
Is your front door made of steel, fiberglass, or solid wood?
Does the door include a properly installed deadbolt lock, strike plate, and wide-angle peephole? (Bonus points for an automatic remote door lock!)
Is the door free of windows; embedded or in surrounding areas, within 40” of the locks and doorknob? If not, are the windows made of reinforced glass?
Are the hinges located on the interior side of the door?
Windows
Do you close and lock all windows when you’re not home?
Do all of those window locks snap completely into place? (This is especially of concern in homes with older windows where some of the locks may have gotten broken or jammed with debris.)
In addition to the built-in lock your windows were made with, have you added secondary locks or pinning devices?
Are any screens or storm windows also securely locked in place?
Do you obscure the view of electronics or other valuables from street sight, either through placement in your home or angling blinds appropriately?
If you have basement windows, are they in good shape and locked at all times?
Garage
Do you keep the door from your garage to your home locked at night and when you leave?
Is your garage door connected to your security system’s remote access app, so you can be alerted if the garage door is opened when you’re not home?
Is the outdoor entrance to the garage just as secure as other entry doors to the home?
Environmental Safety
Is your home outfitted with the correct number of smoke detectors, and are they all in working order?
Do you test your smoke detection system once a month?
Are your smoke, carbon monoxide, and flood leak detection devices monitored through your home security service?
How Secure is Your Home?
Hopefully you answered “yes” to all or most of these questions. If so, congratulations, you are a bad target for burglars! If you answered “no” to any of them, you may have the opportunity to upgrade your security and discourage break-ins.
It’s also important to remember each home is different; some of these concerns you may not need to worry about. But you might also have unique risks that most other people don’t face.
Fortress Security professionals will gladly come out and evaluate your house and give you a quote on a custom home security system that works perfectly for you and your family.
Let us know you’re interested, and we’ll give you a call:
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