Residential Home Security Survey Exterior of Home Windows Doors When Going Away Miscellaneous Issues

Residential Home Security Survey If your locked out of your home, can you still get in? Through an If your locked out of your home, can you still get in? Through an unlocked window in the back, or using an extra key hidden under unlocked window in the back, or using an extra key hidden under a flower pot or up on a ledge? a flower pot or up on a ledge? If you can break in, so can a burglar!! If you can break in, so can a burglar!! Although this survey will not make your home burglar proof, it will Although this survey will not make your home burglar proof, it will result in suggestions that may help improve your home protection or result in suggestions that may help improve your home protection or less attractive to the perpretrator less attractive to the perpretrator

Exterior of the Home Is your address clearly visible from the street? You would like the police, ambulance, fire truck, or any other emergency personnel to be able to find your home if you need help

Exterior of the Home Are trees and shrubs trimmed to eliminate hiding places? You want your bushes or shrubs to be cut 3 feet low. You want the canopy of your trees to be cut 7 feet high. This will create a natural surveillance to allow you to see clearly outside of your home to observe what’s going on. This will also allow your neighbors to see if you may need help.

Exterior of the Home Does the outdoor lighting cover the entire perimeter of the structure? Can lights be compromised by simply unscrewing the light bulb? Are lights controlled by motion detection? Does the outdoor lighting illuminate the house numbers?

Exterior of the Home Have you removed anything with your name on it from the outside of your house? Are detached structures (garage/sheds) properly secured or locked? Are alarm signs visible? Are alarm company decals on windows and points of entry? Does your property have a well maintained appearance? You want the alarm signs to be seen on your property to deter a burglary from happening. You want your property to have a “live – in appearance” and look like you care about your home.

Windows Are all windows equipped with locks or pinned? Are windows locked and firmly mounted? Do you keep the windows locked when they are shut? Maybe consider charlie bars, pinning windows, or steel window bars

Windows

Are there window air conditioning units? Are window air conditioners anchored to prevent removal from outside?

Windows Have screws been installed in the tracks of sliding windows to prevent them from being lifted out?

Windows Do you have curtains or blinds covering the garage windows? Are there good, secure locks on garage windows?

Doors Make sure you have the right door. If your front and back doors are hollow, you need to replace them immediately. How do you know if your door is hollow? Simply knock on it. Hollow doors are merely sheets of veneer over a cardboard core. All exterior doors should be solid and made from the following materials: Fiberglass Solid wood Solid wood core (a layer of veneer over solid wood) Metal (Note: make sure metal doors are reinforced inside, and have what is called a lock block. Otherwise, they can be bent out of the frame using a car jack)

Doors Do the doors fit tightly within there frames? Do you have a good quality strike plate? The strike plate is the metal plate that surrounds the lock-set (the hole in the door frame where the lock bolt enters). All exterior doors should have heavy-duty metal security strike plates secured by four 3-inch screws.

Doors Hinges should be on the inside of the door. Secure your door frames to the walls by installing several 3-inch screws along the frame and doorstop. The screws should reach the wall stud. Viewers, also called peep holes allow you to see who is on the other side of the door. You can install wide-angle viewers at eye level on all exterior doors. If you have to open your door to see, your locks won't do you much good.

Doors Have the locks been changed and re-keyed since the last occupant? Are the locks in good working condition? Are all the keys to the house accounted for? Do you have or have you considered a single or double cylinder lock?

Doors Have the sliding doors been tailored to keep them from being lifted out of the track?

Doors Do you lock the garage door leading to the house? Are garage door openers left in cars that are parked outside the garage?

When Going Away Do you notify someone to watch your house? A trusted neighbor/friend, contact the police dept. for a premise check Do you arrange for friends or a neighbor to pick up your mail, newspaper, and other deliveries? Have you left both work and/or vacation numbers with a trusted individual so that you can be contacted in case of an emergency? Have you made provisions for lawn care/snow removal?

When Going Away Do you park halfway down your driveway so it looks like someone is home and makes it more difficult for thieves to load things up? Have valuables been placed in uncommon areas instead of the obvious spots? Have you ever considered timers in place for interior lighting, radios, etc.? It would be a good idea when leaving for the evening or going out of town to leave a light on or install timers to make your house appear as if someone is home. Most burglars like to avoid confrontation!

Miscellaneous Issues Do you keep an inventory of valuables and is it secured in a safe place? Does your inventory include photographs and a record of serial numbers for valuable items? Do you have a list of emergency numbers in your home? Do you shred personal information instead of putting it out in the trash? Do you practice saftey drills with your family? Are firearms unloaded and locked away safely?

Home Security Citizens should be concerned not only with the security of their neighborhoods, but also with making their own homes as secure as possible. Good locks, simple precautions, neighborhood alertness, and common sense can help prevent most property crimes. Removing the opportunity for crime will reduce the amount of crime. More than three million residential burglaries are committed annually – one every ten seconds! However, half of all home burglaries occur during the day when alert neighbors could spot thieves and call the police.