Unfortunately, I seem to be attending more houses that have been burgled recently, so I decided to write this piece that just might help you send the would-be intruder on to another property.

Look at your security

Burglars love dark shadows to hide what they are up to. Having motion detector lights around the outside of your house is one of the best deterrents. Also timer switches on interior lights will make your property look lived in even when you are on holiday, or out for the night. Neighbours who will draw and open your windows for you are a big help if you are going away for a few days. Can’t decide on dog or a cat for a pet? People get used to barking dogs, so they are only good as security if you are home. And people take dogs away with them or put them in kennels when they go on holiday. Cat people tend to get family or friends to feed their moggies at home while they are away, so these people are more likely to have someone make the property look lived in. Crunchy gravel is also a great turn off for burglars who want to be stealthy. If you can, make sure you have to cross some crunchy gravel to access any part of your house, not just the drive.

Speaking of driveways, an empty one for any period of time indicates a vacant house. Most homes have two or more cars these days. Ask a neighbour to use yours while you are away. And have someone put your bins out just like you would if you were home. Don’t just leave next week’s bin at the end of your garden unless you would do that normally.

Thieves often use open windows as their entry points. Visible locks that are obviously locked are a great deterrent. Secondary locks like cable restrictors show you mean business. It’s nice to have maximum sunlight pouring in through windows, but blinds or even nets, block out easy vision of what’s on display in your home. If they can see something worth the effort of trying, they might not get in, but they might also do a lot of damage to your door or windows trying. The trick is to make them walk away before they even try.

Overgrown lawns show someone is not taking care of the garden, ask or employ someone to keep your plants and grass in order while you are on any extended absence from your home.

Social Media is the biggest advert that your home is empty. Why post that you are going away next month? Surely the people that need to know can be told face to face. And is it not more important to enjoy your holiday while you are there without reminding the world you are enjoying a beach in the Balearics? Post your pictures when you get home.

I help my kids do a paper round (I know they should do it themselves, but I spoil them!). I see plenty of properties that have days of post in plain view to anyone who happens to be interested. Also, with online shopping getting to be as big as it is, not only to packages left in plain sight advertise you are not home, but those vary packages are saying: “I’m free! Steal me!” Nowadays, no one is going to question a white van pulling up on your drive. And if someone is carrying stuff away from your house to load the van, it just looks like a common return. So the burglar gets an unknown item free, and knows you are out.

Don’t neglect the security of your shed, either. I recently had a case where a customer wanted a top level lock for his shed. I pointed out that the hinges were simply screwed to the outside of the door and demonstrated how the shed could be broken into in just seconds with a battery operated screwdriver, giving me access to thousands of pounds worth of bikes, gardening equipment, etc. Plus tools in the shed could help the burglar get into your home. Make sure it isn’t easy to get into.

Spare key under a plant pot? Or in the broken brick? Or on that secret ledge in the porch? Chances are, if you have a key hidden about the outside of your property, no matter how inventive you think your hiding place is, the burglar is likely to have seen it before. The other problem with doing this is when someone calls me out and tells me they have hidden a key in the garden, but they were incredibly inventive and actually forgot their super hiding place, so still needed me in the end! Leave a spare with a trusted neighbour or invest in a good quality keysafe and put it somewhere that can be seen from the road in built up areas, so that anyone attacking it will be obvious, or hidden in quiet areas, somewhere that the intruder might have to get down on his knees to attack it, or in a recess so that he can’t get to it with a lever.

Just bought a big television? Don’t leave the box by the side of your recycling bin. Break it up and put the box pieces inside the bin. Otherwise, you advertise the sort of expensive items you have inside.

Not everyone can afford expensive alarm systems, but you can get dummy devices that are easy to install. Stickers saying beware of the dog, or alarm protected, stuck on windows that have to be passed will deter the opportunist. But you can now buy out of the box alarm systems from DIY stores that really are cheap enough to be affordable if you can afford a holiday. They don’t need much skill to install either, and come with all sorts of add-ons that will do things like capture an image of the intruder and message you direct when the alarm is triggered. Wireless and simple, no one should go on holiday without at least installing a basic alarm. It might mean you have to do one less excursion, but it might also mean your valuables are still there when you get back.

Finally, I hear this said a lot: “If they want to get in, they will.” Yes, that is correct, but they want to get in quickly without anyone knowing about it. The harder you make it for them to get in quickly and quietly, the more likely it is that they won’t even try. And while they might prefer to get in through a window, they want to leave via a door because their hands will be full. Don’t leave keys in back doors, French doors or on pegs close to doors. What could be easier for the burglar than to get in through a window, open your front door with a key from the hook just by it, take your jewellery and also get to take your car with the keys from the very same hook. Which has just reminded me, if you are going to leave a car for a couple of weeks, why not disconnect the battery or, if you know more about cars, immobilise it further?

If you have any questions about any of the above, please contact me via any of the methods on my contacts page.

Thanks for reading!