How Best to Protect Your Home From Burglary

It’s an all too familiar tale: coming home to find your door open and your most expensive possessions lost.

And, while burglary statistics show that this kind of theft has lessened over the past 20 years by more than 25%, the remaining number of break ins annually in the U.S. is still around 2.5 million. That’s around 7,000 every 24 hours.

To avoid becoming a statistic you’ll want to make your house more impervious to burglary. While home security can be expensive, there are many simple things you can do to considerably lower your chances of being one of the unlucky people to come home to find their possessions in disarray.  

Take in some knowledge:

• While many people may believe that robberies occur at night, a majority of these burglaries happen during the day while people are at work.
• Most robbers use the front door.
• Close to 90% of burglaries happen in residential areas.
• Thefts are more likely in the summer months (the least popular month is February).

What can you do to keep your home safe?

• Lock your doors: it sounds pretty basic, but simply keeping the doors and windows shut and locked is a great first step. You would be shocked at the number of robbers who simply tested the door to find it open, or came in through an open and easily accessible window.
• Hold your mail when on vacation: A build up of mail or an unattended package is a surefire clue to a potential burglar that your home isn’t currently occupied. Contact USPS to have your mail held or ask a neighbor to collect it regularly when you are on vacation.
• Beware of dog sign: if you have a dog, let the world know. Signs that say that dogs are on the premises definitely dissuade would be robbers. They would certainly prefer to take on a similar home that does not come with the possibility of getting barked at or bit.
• Put away ladders and tools: Don’t aid and abet criminals by leaving out tools for them to use in breaking into your house. Keep your ladders locked up.
• Don’t tell everyone that you are out of town on social media: While it’s tempting to gloat about being on vacation, robbers can scour the internet to see if you are showing off recent shots of yourself on a far away beach. Be discreet on vacation and don’t let thieves know you won’t be at home.
• Put timers on your lights: If your lights continue to go on and off while you are out of town, it can put potential thieves off of the idea that you are really gone.
• Park a car at your house: Either park a car you are not using during vacation, or ask a neighbor to use your driveway while you are away to disabuse criminals of the notion that you are not at home.

In addition to these many tips and statistics, there are ways to prevent significant loss when you face a home robbery. On average, property loss per burglary is around $2,200, but there are ways to keep your personal losses to a minimum.

• Keep a file of serial numbers: For big ticket items like your TV, bike, or computer, keep a list of the serial numbers so that you can report them to police if the item is stolen.
• Make sure your items are insured: Homeowners or renters insurance can cover some losses, but connect with your insurance company to make sure expensive items like jewelry or pieces of art are fully insured.
• Tag items with a personal brand: Etch or sew in some marking to identify your expensive items so you can claim them if they turn up

Home robberies are sadly all to common. They say three out of every four homes will experience theft within the next 20 years. However, by preparing properly, you can keep the prospect that you will be robbed and your losses down to a minimum.

Sarah Archer – Content and PR Manager – yourbestdigs.com
Sarah’s a writer who’s passionate about evaluating everyday home products to help consumers save time and money. When she’s not putting a product’s promise to the test, you’ll find her hiking a local trail or collecting new stamps in her passport.

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