National Home Security Month – how to keep your home safe

Now that the nights are closing in more quickly, and with the clocks set to go back an hour before the month is out, it seems apt that October is officially National Home Security Month.

Established in 2013, the purpose of National Home Security Month is to remind UK householders of the importance of home security, whilst also providing them with helpful hints and tips of how they can best safeguard their properties against burglary.

It doesn’t take a genius to work out that burglars are most likely to chance their arm and attempt to force their way into private living spaces during the autumn and winter months, and your home needs to be capable of keeping them out.

Can you say with a high degree of confidence that your house is secure enough to shut out thieves? If not, we recommend that you implement County’s ‘Top 5’ home security tips.

Fit modern windows and doors

Your windows and doors will be the prime target for burglars and if there’s even the slightest amount of give in them when they’re locked, your possessions could very easily be swiped.

If you upgrade to our up-to-the-minute secure windows and doors it will come as a bitter blow for burglars as they’re robust, internally beaded and feature advanced locking mechanisms.

Cut out leaving a key out

Burglars aren’t daft! They will check under your front door mat or any outdoor pot plants in the hope that you will have left a key out for a fellow family member to gain access to the property in your absence.

Stop giving thieves an open invitation to invite themselves in and get a key cut for everyone that definitely needs one.

Join or setup a Neighbourhood Watch scheme

“Neighbours, everybody needs good neighbours.”

These lyrics in the theme tune of our favourite antipodean soap opera couldn’t be truer though.

An estimated 2.3 million member households are part of a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme with participating members keeping an eye out for suspicious activity in local communities.

Having lots of people look out for your home will fill you with reassurance.

Perform a lock check before bedtime

It seems such an obvious suggestion but go around the house ahead of heading up at night or leaving the house unoccupied and make sure that every single window and door is locked properly.

The majority of burglaries occur because a window or door has inadvertently been left unlocked, and the last thing you want to do is invalidate your home insurance policy when you need to put in a claim.

Stop thieves in their tracks with lighting

Unless you constantly eat carrots like Bugs Bunny and are prepared to unceasingly peer through the curtains at night, you won’t always be able to see what’s going on directly outside.

You can have external security lights fitted that spark into action when they detect the movements of someone close by, which will have any thief quickly backtracking.

If you visit your nearest County showroom you will come across a host of products that will solidify your home security; something that should never be side-lined.