Keep Your Home Safe This Summer

All year long homes are at risk for fire, flood, burglary and even other kinds of disaster. There are all kinds of behaviors and efforts that a homeowner can make to prevent or reduce the chances for such things. Interestingly, each season also presents its own challenges and as summer rapidly approaches it is a wise decision to consider where a home might have some security weaknesses.

Let's first look at statistics: the two most common areas of access used by criminals to get into their victim's homes are the front doors and the garage doors. Clearly, most people are not leaving doors unlocked, but enough make a habit of doing so that criminals know to exploit them. So, make a habit of locking the front door, and even more importantly - CLOSE THE GARAGE DOORS!

This is something that so many people forget about during the summer months because they keep so many summertime things in their garages. Bicycles, sports equipment, beach chairs, gardening tools and a host of other things all tend to reside in the garage and it is just easier to leave those doors wide open most of the time. Burglars know all about this and will use this to enter the home easily and without any risk of detection by neighbors. This is because they can take their sweet time forcing the door that connects the home to the garage, and some will even back their car or van right into the garage and pack it up with all of the homeowner's belongings in total concealment.

So, maybe you're not the type to leave the garage doors open, or maybe you don't even have a garage. What's your biggest risk? Doors and windows being left open to let in the glorious summer air are often an easy point of entry for a burglar. Even windows on a second floor can be used to get into the home, so most law enforcement agencies recommend closing and locking all windows when leaving the home. Yes, this is annoying and unfortunate, but it really only takes a few minutes to air out even the most stuffy room, so "better safe than sorry".

Finally, another big issue with summertime home security is the annual summer vacation. It takes only a little bit of effort and organization to make all of the necessary arrangements for security while you are on vacation. This means asking a friend or neighbor to get your mail and newspapers each day, programming a few electronic timers to turn on lights, radios and the television at various times throughout the day and night (there are now "random" timers that prevent a burglar from detecting any kind of fixed pattern to the activity in the house because they turn on and off at different times throughout the day), and adequately preparing the house for your departure. Make sure that all doors and windows are locked, including sliding patio doors, basement hatchways and windows with broken latches. These can be secured through "jimmy bars" which can be made or purchased and which simply prevent any door or window from sliding open.