Home protection hints

Follow these simple security tips to protect your home

• Make sure door and window locks are working.
• For best home security, alarm your doors and windows. You needn't spend a fortune, because a good thief can often beat an elaborate system. Fortunately, most thieves if they see an alarm system in place, will likely move on to the next house.
• Ensure your house appears occupied. That would mean installing timers for intermittent lighting at night and, perhaps, music in daylight hours, some people will even put washing on the line.
• Install motion detection lighting around exterior dark areas, walkways, and doorways.
• Never leave a key outside under a welcome mat, above a doorway, etc. Those are the first places a thief will look.
• Don’t leave empty TV, VCR, computer, or other boxes or packaging from expensive gifts on the nature strip.  If the boxes won’t fit in your recycling container, consider taking them to a recycler yourself.
• If they do manage to get into your house, the average thief will only have a few minutes in your home. They just have time to look in the 'usual' places.  Hide expensive pieces in various places around your home, better still, invest in a safe.
• Take photographs of every room so you have a record of your belongings in case you ever need to claim.