Whether you’ve been living in one place for a while, or have just moved, home security is always a hot topic. It’s often only after a break-in that many people realise just how many spots around their house are vulnerable, but in fact many of these could be prevented or deterred with some simple security changes. Nobody likes to think about something like this happening, but prevention is always the best course of action, so follow these tips to make sure you and your family stay safe and secure! 

1. Don’t advertise your valuables

   If someone peers through a window and sees a pile of games consoles, electronics, or even cash or jewellery lying around, they may consider you a good target. Make sure your valuables aren’t too much on display.

2. Light up your entrances

   Using lighting or motion detectors, the entrances to your house should be as visible as possible. If someone needs to stand in a spotlight to do something shady, the chances are they’d rather not risk it. This also means that large shrubs, trees, potted plants and privacy fences near your doors should be moved, as they provide cover to hide behind.

3. Don’t make it obvious you’re not home

   When you’re away for longer than a couple of days, your house can become a target. Make it less obvious that nobody is at home by doing simple things like keeping your curtains open to make it seem as though you’re home. If there’s a neighbour that you trust, why not give them a key to the house and ask them to let themselves in every couple of days to pick up the post and water your plants. This will make it far less obvious that your home is empty!

4. Make it difficult to get in

   If it’s difficult to get into your house, then an intruder is much less likely to try to get in. Most burglars are opportunists and are looking for an easy target – making your house challenging to enter can put them off. This means closing and locking all windows and doors and making sure access to the back of your property is also secure.

5. Get a dog

   This is something to really think hard about, as dogs take quite a bit of maintenance! But if you’d like to keep a dog and your landlord allows you to have pets, sometimes the sounds of barking from inside a house can put someone off breaking in.

6. Limit the size of your cat flap

   If you have a cat flap, or indeed a ‘dog flap’ then think about its size! Having a big dog door or cat flap can be a security risk if the flap is big enough for a person to be able to crawl through.

The HomeSwapper Customer Support team are always on hand to give advice and tips on how to get the most from HomeSwapper. They deal with Swappers every day and have a unique insight and view on the thousands of successful swaps that take place on HomeSwapper.