5 Top Tips To Secure Your Home This Summer
Although this summer may be very different to previous summers, it can still be a dangerous time for the homeowner. Theives know that people are more likely to be out for long periods of time with the windows open or potentially on holiday (fingers crossed!).
You may not realise, but the most common time of day for burglaries to take place is 10am-3pm, not the night time! Statistics also show that home burglaries spike during the summer months with people leaving windows open whilst they are out of the house or leaving doors unlocked when out in the back garden. On top of this, more people are away on holiday during the summer months and this is the ideal time for a burglar to target your house.
It’s not all doom and gloom though, there are a few simple things that you can do to ensure that your home is safe and secure this summer!
1. Keep Doors and Windows Locked
This is a big one and one that people really seem to forget about in the summer months. People go to bed with their downstairs windows open, or even worse, leave the house with all of their windows open so that the house isn’t too hot when they return. Another big one in summer is people leaving their front door unlocked whilst they are sunbathing in the back garden, oblivious to what is going on inside!
Both of these things make it incredibly easy for a burglar to enter your house though, so it is essential that you keep doors and windows locked when you are either out of the house, in the garden or sleeping.
2. Ensure Your Privacy Settings Are Correct Before Posting Holiday Pictures on Social Media
Although the holiday season may well postponed for this summer, it's still lilkely that people will partake in some holidays, even if they are in the UK.
Thieves have moved with the times and social media has become a breeding ground for crime nowadays. With people posting more and more holiday photos on social media and the ease with which criminals can access your information, we have seen a huge increase in the number of burglaries taking place when people are on holiday.
3. Don’t Leave Keys Under Stones or Plant Pots
This one is true all year round, but especially so in summer when people are out of the house a lot more. You may think that leaving a key under a rock by your front door, or under a plant pot makes you James Bond, but it’s the oldest trick in the book and one which burglars are wise to. You want to make it as hard as possible for thieves to break into your home and giving them the key really goes against that!
4. Protect Your Home with a 3* Cylinder
Without doubt, the best protection you can give your home is with a high security Kitemark 3 Star cylinder. Our AP Euro Cylinder is Sold Secure Diamond approved, as well as TS007:2014 Kitemark 3 Star approved meaning that it is the most secure cylinder available on the UK market.
It safeguards from all forced methods of attack ranging from snapping, drilling, plug-extraction, picking and bumping.
The APECS AP cylinder is specifically designed to protect from unauthorised access by burglars. The AP cylinder is engineered with a unique sacrificial point, which when tampered with externally sets an interlocking cam mechanism into action, preventing any further damage to the internal parts of the cylinder, whilst still keeping the lock operable from the inside.
We are so confident in the strength of our AP cylinder that it is protected by a 10-year guarantee.
5. Install A Home Security System
Another great way to protect your home is with some sort of home security system, whether this is a camera system, alarm system or both. Cameras and alarms are a huge deterrent to burglars and if they see you have one installed, they are likely to move on to another house.
There are a whole range of security systems available on the market, so we would recommend that you do your research before buying one.
There you have it; these are our best tips to keep your home secure this summer. So get out there and enjoy the sunshine, but keep your home protected at the same time!
