Keeping your home secure

Keep your Home Secure

At the end of summer owners of lake cottages and mountain retreats find themselves locking up for another year. Unfortunately, many owners do not leave their vacation homes very secure against burglaries.
Although there no fool-proof way to prevent a burglary, making things difficult for criminals is the best defense. These tips apply not only to vacation homes, but to your primary residence as well.

• Make your home look lived in. Add timers to lights so they go on and off in different rooms at different times. Consider leaving a light on over the stove to show that the most-used room is active.
• Secure all entry doors. Using a foot lock to jam doors can delay entry and deter burglars.
• Add motion-detector lights outside your home or put lights on timers. Ensure outdoor lights are mounted higher than someone can reach without a ladder to deter thieves from removing the bulb in order to work in darkness.
• Use a timer to leave a radio playing to sound like someone home. If you have a landline phone, turn down the volume so unanswered rings don’t get attention. With an answering machine /voice mail, don’t give details that the home is closed up for season and check to clear messages regularly.
• Determine what can be seen though open window coverings and close those that reveal too much while leaving others open on the second floor.
• Keep in contact with your neighbors. Inform trusted, local year-around residents of your schedule and of any service schedules. Provide them with contact information and consider leaving key with them for emergency. Ask them to pick up flyers, phone books, newsletters that collect on the front door and driveway.
• Consider installing security system for more peace in mind
• For the greatest security, hirea caretaker to live in the home or management company to check on the home regularly and conduct off-season maintenance /service.