The winter months have been revealed as peak burglary season – experts advise on what to do to keep your home safe.
There were 22,444 burglaries last October alone – more than any other month in the last year besides January.
It’s particularly important to take measures to protect your home at this time of the year, especially as we approach Christmas and homes start to fill up with hoards of expensive gifts – making for an attractive target for burglars.
Matthew Harwood, home and lifestyle expert at Confused.com home insurance, shares some essential tips to help keep your home safe this festive season:
- Lock your home: Always lock your doors when you leave, even if it’s for a few minutes. Install deadbolts for extra security. Keep windows locked, especially those on the ground floor or near accessible ledges. Make sure all doors and windows have sturdy locks.
- Buy a security system: These include wireless alarm systems and cameras. These don’t need drilling or hardwiring. You can also buy motion sensors that can send notifications to your phone.
- Make sure your home has good lighting: Ensure that all entrances are well-lit. Motion sensor lights can be an effective deterrent.
- Keep your plans off social media: Don’t advertise your location or that your house is empty on social media platforms. As tempting as it might be to show off that new laptop, phone, or other valuables on your feed, this can attract unwanted attention. By displaying your belongings, you’re advertising what’s available for potential thieves.
- Get to know your neighbours: Knowing who should and shouldn’t be around your building can help increase safety.
- Buy a personal safe: These can securely hold your valuables and documents that you can hide in your home.
- Secure your Wi-Fi: A secure Wi-Fi network is good for data protection and essential for home security. This is particularly important if you have smart devices. Change your Wi-Fi’s default password, as these are often generic, and enable WPA3 encryption if your router supports it.
- Mark your belongings: Engrave your name or place a sticker on your valuables. In the event of a theft, marked items are easier to recover.
- Secure your gadgets: Use laptop locks and avoid leaving your tech in view. You can also write down the serial numbers of your devices. You have a better chance of getting them back if they’re stolen with these.
- Stop deliveries while you’re away: Letters and parcels left outside show your house is empty, which can attract burglars. If you plan to be away, ask a friend or neighbour to collect your mail or pause your deliveries until you’re back.
- Set up phone tracking: As well as being valuable gadgets, our phones contain personal data, so it’s vital to set up tracking. Use services like “Find My Phone” for iPhones or “Find My Device” for Android phones. If your phone gets misplaced or stolen, you can track its location or even erase its data.
- Insure your belongings: Ensure your valuables are covered by content insurance – shop around to get the best deal. Covering your tech at home and while you’re away is vital as it could help cover the cost of replacements.
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