With gadgets, smart devices and home tech as well as jewellery, electronics and personal valuables to name just a few, we all have precious belongings in our homes. And we should all be proactive in keeping them protected.
It is estimated that a house burglary takes place every 106 seconds in the UK, and many are opportunistic thefts that could be prevented. We put together our top seven tips on how to make private belongings secure in your home and make it harder for someone to steal your valuables.
• Boost your security
Upgrading your home security needn’t be expensive but a burglar alarm, security cameras, motion sensors and better outdoor lighting can all make a difference when it comes to deterring a potential burglar or opportunistic thief, or even updating all of your locks which can be easily found online from FastKeys. And timers, which will switch lights on and off if you are not at home and with smart tech can now be controlled remotely, are also a simple but effective idea.
• Get into the locking habit
Make locking doors and windows second nature, even if you are only going out for a few minutes. Many burglaries are opportunistic, and an unlocked door or window left ajar can be too tempting for a passing would-be thief.
• Register your belongings
While prevention is better than cure, you can register your valuable items with the UK National Property Register so should they be stolen, you have a better chance of them being returned to you. This register helps the police to reunite recovered property with their original owners and you can also use it to flag items, should they be stolen.
• Make your belongings traceable
As well as registering your belongings, you can also take steps to make them traceable, should they be stolen. And one of the simplest ways is to mark them with a UV pen. Invisibly marking electronics, IT and gadgets with your postcode and house number, using one of these pens, means they can be traced back to you, if recovered by the police. And another good idea is to take photos of your valuables and always make a note of serial numbers so you can prove they are yours.
• Get a safe
For valuable items such as jewellery as well as cash and personal documents, investing in a safe can give you extra peace of mind when keeping personal belongings secure in your home. But the type of safe you buy will make all the difference – look for safes that are approved by the Association of Insurance Surveyors and if you can, get it professionally fitted. A safe that has been secured and is immovable, means a thief can’t simply make off with it…and its precious contents.
• Secure outdoor buildings
When protecting your personal belongings at home, don’t forget garages and sheds, where you will also store valuable items and equipment. Make sure you have sufficient locks on the garage or shed door and mark all your expensive gardening equipment with a UV pen. And don’t forget your bike, if you have one. Even if you keep it safe in a garage, always use a decent bike lock and register it via the National Property Register.
• Don’t leave them ‘on show’
And finally, don’t make your belongings irresistible by leaving them on show in your home.
Always put away your gadgets, tablets and IT when not using them, as leaving them on tables can make them visible through a nearby window. Spare keys under the doormat or plant pot are also a no-no and keep your car keys away from the front door. Thieves are known to ‘fish’ or reach them through the letterbox or window so take away that temptation completely. And don’t forget to close your curtains when you put your lights on, otherwise you could be advertising everything you own!
Disclosure: This is a featured post.
