For Residential Properties
Along with the signs listed above for commercial properties, there are additional warning signs to watch for if you own a home. By heeding these warnings and increasing your home security, you can prevent a break-in or theft at your home. If you only have a lock and key system, it may be worth it to consider a monitored alarm system or even a closed-circuit cameras system. Your locks themselves may also prove not up to the task of guarding your doors if they are worn down, cheaply made, or poorly installed. Many options for upgrading your home locks exist on the market today, including smart locks that are operated via an app on your phone and keypad locks that utilize a pin number for entry. A professional locksmith will have all of these options available for you to choose from.
If there have been break-ins in the neighborhood.
Criminals often target certain neighborhoods that they deem to be hot spots, and will attempt to break in to multiple homes in the same area if they believe they won’t get caught. If your neighbors’ have been broken in to lately, then it’s possible that your home may be the next target. Don’t let this happen to you. Instead, call a locksmith right away to discuss your options for quickly and affordably increasing your home security.
If you have poorly secured doors and windows.
If the locks on your doors and windows don’t hold securely, are loose, or stick when you use them, it’s important to have them assessed for possible replacement or upgrading. Locks that are loose can easily be defeated using a technique called “bumping” by criminals. Cheap locks on doors can be defeated with a hammer or other brute force techniques. Every entrance door to your home that has a knob lock should also be secured with a deadbolt lock, at the very least.
If you have a lot of valuables or other assets in the home.
If you have many valuable items stored in your home, such as important documents, expensive jewelry, cash, or other expensive belongings you need to protect, your door locks may not be enough. It’s best in these cases to consider installing a home safe to protect these valuables not only from criminals but also from fires and flooding. Residential safes can be installed by a locksmith and provide unbeatable asset protection for your most precious belongings.
If you travel a lot and leave your home unoccupied.
If you go on vacation a lot, whether for business or pleasure, and your home remains unoccupied during that time, it can leave it vulnerable while you are away. Vacant homes are one of the signs criminals look for when searching for a place to target. If there are no cars in the driveway and no lights on for multiple days at a time, it may signify to a criminal scoping out your home that it’s ripe for the picking. While you can implement measures such as putting lights on auto-timers and having a neighbor pick up your mail a few times a week, it’s best to accompany these small touches with larger upgrades to your home security protection.
If you’re in need of a security assessment, it’s best not to wait. Consider security upgrades to be a crucial investment in keeping your belongings and property safe and secure. Contact a locksmith right away to discuss your options and determine the best plan for your property.
