Seven home security tips for moving to a new neighbourhood

Moving to a new house is a really exciting moment in anyone’s life – it’s the beginning of a new chapter. But it is also normal to feel a bit scared about not knowing the area and the potential security threats that may be there. After all, data shows that there’s one burglary happening every 108 seconds, and there were over 267 thousand burglaries in England and Wales in 2020/21. 

A home is a significant investment, making it in most cases one of the owner’s most valuable assets, along with everything inside it. What’s more, home is the place that feel safe and secure. 

Improving home security isn’t that difficult. There are some simple things that can be done to help create a secure environment for residents. Here are seven valuable tips to consider. 

Meet the neighbours 

The new neighbours are one of the many unknowns about a neighbourhood, and getting to know them is an excellent way to start feeling more secure in the new house. It’s worth taking some time to meet them and create connections, not only to help create social life in the area, but also to help feel less restless about security at home. 

Neighbours can help watch over things for each other when anyone goes out of town. They can also share insights about past break-in trends in the area and tips on what they’ve done to protect their own homes. 

Keep valuables in a locked place 

Most people have certain valuables that make great targets for burglars, whether that is cash, jewellery, documents or digital devices. It’s certainly a good idea to make sure that in case a burglar does manage to break in, they will not leave with any such valuables. These things should be kept locked in a safe place. Here are a few tips about keeping valuables safe inside the home: 

• Store them out of sight

• Hide them inside boxes in the garage or other low-traffic rooms 

• Use a bookcase box 

• Invest in a lockable safety deposit box

Secure doors and windows 

To avoid making the job of burglars easy, it’s best to make sure all access ways like doors and windows are secure. All exterior doors and windows should be inspected, including the frames, which should be strong and with protected hinges. 

When moving into a property that someone else used to call “home”, buyers might want to consider changing the door locks to make sure no one else has a key to the house. 

As for the windows, if they look like they can break really easy, it’s a good idea to reinforce them with window security film. 

Install some smart security tech 

The extensive and increasing range of technological advancements can also help keep homes safer. From burglar alarms to CCTV and access control technologies, these intelligent home devices significantly enhance home security. 

As the home security experts from 247 CCTV explain: “Security systems protect our properties from break-ins in several ways. They not only alarm us in case an authorised person is trying to enter our homes, but they also discourage burglars from even trying”. 

So, installing various security systems around the home like remote monitors or alarms will help ensure burglars stay away and, if they don’t, a notification will come through.

Look for security vulnerabilities in the landscape 

A space can hold many security vulnerabilities that can improve the chances of burglars getting inside. So, it’s a good idea to also analyse the exterior of the home for potential weaknesses. 

For example, it’s worth walking around the property to look for areas that could be great hiding spaces for burglars. These spots can allow intruders to hide until the right moment to break in comes, and obviously it’s important to get rid of them. Examples could include overgrown areas.

It’s also a good idea to look for any potential holes in any fences. These holes will allow burglars to access the property a lot more easily, without being noticed, so they should be fixed too.

Some lighting is also an excellent addition to make any property less vulnerable at night. It is well known that burglars prefer to stay in the shadows, so they are more likely to stay away from a house that’s well lit. 

Think like a burglar 

It may sound weird, but putting oneself in the shoes of a burglar planning to break into a house may provide some really valuable insights. More precisely, it’s said that to look at your property like a burglar would can illuminate any weaknesses in the home’s security that may have previously escaped notice. It might be an opportunity to discover a faulty alarm that otherwise wouldn’t have been noticed, or a door that could easily open if a burglar pushed it. Either way, this approach could allow any vulnerabilities to be resolved before it is too late. 

Have a plan for vacations

Last but not least, it’s necessary to also consider those moments of absence when the home needs to be protected from burglars. So, it is a good idea also to create a plan for when no one is at home, especially if travel happens often. 

Basically, it’s best to ask someone to remove any signs that may advertise the home as being empty and visit periodically. For example, if the neighbours are trustworthy and helpful, they could pop over to the house every few days to switch the lights on or off, remove flyers or packages, clear snow or leaves, or take care of lawn mowing. 

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