Learn to Prevent Break-Ins
Hold your horses! You can follow sensible guidelines to prevent problems naturally before getting lock replacements to improve your home’s safety from theft and break-ins. An ex-burglar—whose name will be kept private for safety reasons—divulged these secret tips to keep your house safe.
Cage Your Letter Box
Homeowners haphazardly leave their keys near the front door so they can quickly go inside, but they don’t think about letterbox fishing. This means that burglars want to take those keys using a pole to reach up and grab them.
If you leave your possessions by the front door, you might also be vulnerable to losing it by having a thief take it, and a lock replacement may even be necessary following the crime.
Curtains Do Surprisingly Well
Protect the privacy of your house with thick, long curtains or anything that will obscure their view into your home. This works best around Christmas time to keep kleptomaniacs away from stealing your much-awaited presents.
Display with Caution
If you have a calendar or broom visible on the street, you might want to reconsider their placements. A burglar can easily read it and learn when you’ll be out of the house.
Once they have entered through the back of your home, they will make their way to the front door, using a broom (or something similar) to prop it open so they can escape more easily. They will also lock the front door, making it impossible to get through.
Don’t Let Them Know You Have Pets
Many dog owners place a sign on the front window to make it clear that they have a dog or pet, so burglars will sense they will not have an alarm on their house if they break into it.
Aside from that reasoning, displaying your pet out in the open will only prove to burglars that your doors have a flap around the back somewhere. Therefore, it aids their entry into your house.
Don’t advertise. Keep them in the dark and let them get what they deserve if you have a pet that attacks thieves.
Have Two Locks
Robbers will look at a row of houses and choose the one with the least security: if they see only one lock on the front door, that’s an easy target for a break-in. They can kick the door open, and you’re looking at more than a lock replacement in your expenses.
Ensure you have two locks installed (one visible outdoor and another hidden on the opposite side, indoors) to dissuade them from going any further.
Use Both Locks Simultaneously
Don’t have two locks alone on your doors. Use them at the same time, too! A burglar will come to your front door and kick it. If the door does not swing open at all, he knows that you have a deadbolt and will back off and head for the back door.
If the door swings open too quickly, they know that you only have a chain lock on the door. It is not secure enough to keep them out, break in, destroy the lock, and require a lock replacement.
Window Locks Are Essential
Our mysterious ex-burglar also recommends getting window locks. If a house doesn’t have them, thieves can go around to the back of the house and cut their security even further. Never promote your home as one that hasn’t taken sufficient security precautions.
Who to Call in These Emergencies
One last anti-theft tip is to photograph every room in your house, documenting all essential items along the way. When a crime does happen, this provides helpful information for the insurance company and the police and has an additional benefit: it discourages criminals from breaking into your house.
Afterwards, you can call Locksmith Emergencies if you need added theft security or lock replacement in London. We are a locksmith service specialising in rim and night latches, locked doors, UPVC hardware, smart locks, safe opening, installation, and repair, after-burglary repair, and more. Browse our website and get a quote right now!