How to protect your home from theft? 12^th February 2020

Even if you live in one of the safest cities of the world, you should not leave your home open and unattended else you might lose all your valuables to thieves. Everyone knows that the first reaction to theft is calling the police but very few people know what to do to prevent such thefts from happening in the first place. There are plenty of expensive as well as inexpensive ways to burglar-proof your home. Some of the best home insurance companies in India provide insurance against theft as well and it is the first thing that must come in your mind if you live in an area which is prone to thievery. Certain steps can be taken to protect your house from thieves and prevent your valuables from being stolen.

• Never leave your house open if no one is there in your house. Always lock the main door and check if it is locked properly if you are leaving your house unattended for a longer duration. Burglars do not need more than 10 minutes of time on an average to identify the most valuable things inside your house and take it away with them. A slight mistake and you risk losing it all.
• Check your locks on a regular basis and see if they are functioning properly and replace them as soon as possible if they are not functioning as they should. If any of the exterior locks are easy to pick, jimmy or bump open, they must be replaced immediately.
• Don’t cover your house from the street. There must be a clear line of sight from the street to your house so that anyone trying to break open into the house is clearly seen by your neighbors. Cut back any trees or bushes that hide your house and obscure the front door.
• Install home alarm systems and sensors so that as soon as there is a break-in inside your house, the fire alarm sounds immediately and informs the neighbours that there is something wrong.
• Upgrade all your doors and windows and reinforce the doors, windows, locks and all hardware required to keep your house safe from burglars and thieves.
• Use motion light sensors inside as well as outside your house, so that they light up in case there is unpredictable movement outside your house. Such sensors can sense movement outside the house and may even warn the owner if there is some unusual movement outside the house.
• Don’t broadcast details about your upcoming trips on social media. This is one thing that thieves may be on the lookout for and if there is no one at your house, they will have the perfect moment to attack your house and take away your valuables.
• Always keep your valuables inside lockers and safes. The keys to such lockers and safes must also be kept secured and out of normal sight.
• Garages and garden sheds are the softest targets for entry into your house. An automatic lighting system attached to your garage or your garden shed can be a useful deterrent to protect your house from burglars.
• Keeping a good relationship with your neighbours can help you in making your house look occupied even though it is unoccupied. You can tell your neighbours to collect the mail, clean the porch or to mow your lawn and some neighbour can even park in your driveway.

An empty house looking empty is the safest target for burglars. A house not looking unoccupied even though it is unoccupied deters the burglars because they can never be sure if it is a safe target to attack. You can keep in mind the above tips to protect your house and also get a suitable policy from the best home insurance companies in India, in case you are going out for that long holiday you have been longing for.