Out of all the places you spend time, you and your family should always feel safe and secure in your home, without fear of home invasion or injury. You should take steps to ensure your safety, such as making sure your doors are locked, or eliminating obvious hazards around your home. However, despite your best efforts, it is possible that you could be overlooking issues that could put your safety in jeopardy.
To make sure that your home is as safe as it can be, it is a good idea to conduct your own Minneapolis home security audit on a regular basis to protect your family’s well-being. The goal of your audit is to take a closer look at areas of your home that may have room for improvement.
Bonus Content: Download our free PDF “Home Security Audit Checklist”
How Much Protection Does Your Home Offer?
Your home’s first line of defense against unauthorized entry is its doors and windows. Therefore, they are the best place to start your home security audit. Outside of the obvious of keeping your doors and windows locked, consider the following:
- Are your exterior doors made of solid wood or steel? Hollow doors can be easily smashed and do not offer adequate protection.
- Your door is only as good as your doorframe. If your doorframes are weakened by cracks or rotten wood, your doors can be easily kicked in.
- Do your exterior doors have peepholes? Being able to see who is at your door before unlocking and opening it will help keep your family safe.
- All exterior doors should have strong deadbolts installed in addition to standard doorknob locks.
- Are your basement doors secured? Most people do not use their basement doors very often, but it is a good idea to check them often to make sure they haven’t been tampered with or left unlocked.
- Make sure your pet doors are secure and sturdy. It is not impossible for a burglar to squeeze through a larger pet door to gain entrance into your home.
- Do you have a sliding patio door? Verify the lock works, but also supplement it with a bar to prevent the door from being opened from the outside.
- Check the locks on your windows. Replace the locks if they are loose or broken.
- Do your windows have cracks or loose panes? Make repairs as needed to secure the glass.
Appearance Counts!
Did you know that the appearance of your home could either attract or deter criminals? You may be inviting trouble if your home looks deserted, or you allow newspapers or mail to pile up on a regular basis. If you are away from home, especially for an extended period of time, make sure to cancel newspaper and mail delivery while you are away. Also, make sure that you have adequate lighting in and around your home to discourage potential burglars.
Other ways to make it appear as if someone is home and discourage would-be burglars are:
- Keep your blinds closed to keep anyone from seeing inside your home
- Leave lights or a television on
- Park a car in your driveway
Increasing Security
After making the repairs to any deficiencies you found during your home security audit, it might be time to make your home even safer. By having a home security system installed, you can add additional protection to your doors and windows with sensors that detect unauthorized entries.
Having a keypad installed near your entrances can allow you to quickly arm, disarm, or alert the monitoring company when help is needed. By having a security system installed, you also get connected smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to help protect your family from additional household hazards.
Conclusion
Every home can benefit from enhanced security. Having a professional complete a thorough home security audit is the ideal way to identify your home’s potential weaknesses, as well as take steps to correct them. Until then, be sure to use resources like this checklist to improve home security on your own.
