Looking for home security hacks to keep your house as safe as humanly possible? Here at Inspiring Home, we’re going to go over some of the best tips and tricks to prevent your house from getting robbed.
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The Best Home Security Hacks
23. Your “Secret” Key Hiding Spots Aren’t Actually Secret
Loads of people have a secret key hidden somewhere around their property. It might be under the doormat, or inside of a fake rock. However, these hiding spots are actually very common. If you know about it, so will the burglars! So a home security hack is to never keep a secret key hidden around the property. Or, pick a spot that is completely unique to your home. Just make sure no one can see where you retrieve your secret key.
22. Don’t Let Social Media Know You’re on Vacation
When you’re getting ready to go on vacation, you may be tempted to show off on Instagram and Facebook. However, one of the most common times people get robbed is while they are on vacation. By publicly announcing you’re not at home, it’s like giving everyone an open invitation to rob you. (This is especially true if you have a public social media account with thousands of “friends” that you don’t actually know that well.) If you really want to share online, post once you come home from your trip.
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21. Make The House Look Like Someone is Always Home
When thieves see that someone is home, they are less likely to attempt to steal from them. In fact, during the pandemic, home break-ins have been at an all time low. There are a lot of ways to make it appear as though someone is home. Having a car in the driveway at all times is just one example, but it’s obviously very expensive. One of the cheapest things to do is set a lamp on a timer. For example, you could have lights go on around 5PM and shuts off around 10PM. This gives the appearance that someone is home.
20. Install a Doorbell with a Security Camera
Nowadays, a popular product and home security hack is to buy a doorbell with a camera. This begins recording as soon as someone approaches your door. It’s connected to an app, so you get a notification on your phone when you’re away. With some of the doorbells, you can even talk to the person through the app. Some of the most popular brands are by Ring and Arlo.
19. Store Your Backyard Valuables Out of Sight
Thieves like to steal items that they can easily flip on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace. So if you keep your expensive lawn mower or tools out in the open in your backyard, it’s not a great idea. Buy a garden shed, or be sure to put your items in the garage when you’re done using them.
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18. Arrange for the Post Office to Hold Your Mail
One of the biggest dead giveaways that you went on vacation is when mail begins to overflow in your mailbox. When you’re planning to go away, you can let the post office hold your mail. Just make sure you do this with plenty of time to spare before you go on vacation. You don’t want to come back from your trip to find wet, damaged, or missing mail that has been sitting in your mailbox. Also double-check for any incoming Amazon packages. Another alternative is to ask a friend or neighbor to hold onto your mail for you.
17. Check the Locks on Your Doors and Windows Every Night
For some people, this might seem like common sense. But you should always lock your windows and doors every night. You may also want to buy an extra padlock for the top of your door. This way, even if they break into the main doorknob, the top lock is still stopping them from coming in. The only way to break in with one of these extra locks would be to make a lot of noise. This would give you time to call the police. In most cases, the thief will realize it’s not worth the effort, and give up.
16. Pay for an Alarm System
Again, this is another tip that might seem like common sense to some people, it’s not even on a lot of lists of home security hacks. But an alarm system is great for knowing that your house is safe, even when you’re away. According to Safety.com, the up-front cost of a home security setup is between $100 to $250, and $10 to $35 per month after that. This is a small price to pay to have peace of mind.
15. …Or, Buy Fake Home Security Signs
If you don’t want to pay for a security system, you can always buy the signs on eBay instead. Even just having a home security sign in your window or front lawn is often enough to deter thieves from trying to break in.
14. Become Friends With Your Neighbors
There are so many stories out there where a good neighbor spotted suspicious activity at a friend’s house, and decided to call the police. But your neighbors will never know what’s ‘normal’ and what’s strange for you unless you get to know them first. Try to become friends with your neighbors so that you can look out for each other. They may even be a neighborhood group chat or Facebook group that you could become apart of.
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13. Buy a Safe For Your Valuables
A great way to protect your valuables is to purchase a fireproof safe. In a group of stories from Reddit where people’s houses were broken into, one person said that even though his safe was visible and out in the open, the burglar skipped over it. They wanted to go after the video games and consoles that would be easy to sell at GameStop. However, if your safe is very small, the thief could simply put it in their backpack and run. So make sure your safe is substantial enough where they can’t carry it out of the house.
12. Before You Move, Check Out The Crime in that Area
One of the crucial things you should do before you buy a house is to check the town’s crime statistics on Neighborhood Scout. This way, you will know ahead of time whether an area has a high crime rate or not.
11. Download a Crime Tracking App
If you want to be notified about crime in your local area, download a crime tracking app. This is very useful, because many criminals tend to hit multiple houses in the same neighborhood. Just be warned- Once you get one of these apps on your phone, it becomes a bit of an obsession.
10. Set Up a Motion Sensing Light
Most thieves rely on moving around in the dark. They don’t want to get caught, or captured on a security camera. So if you have a motion-sensing light, it will automatically illuminate the surrounding area around the front or back of your house. Combined with security cameras, this is enough to send a thief running in the opposite direction.
9. Read Up on Local Laws Before Buying Weapons to Protect Yourself
Many of you might be tempted to buy a gun or even a sword to protect yourself from burglars. But before you do this, make sure you won’t get in trouble for defending your home. In Texas, they have something called “The Castle Doctrine”, which allows people to kill someone if they break into their home. However, in many other states, you can get sued or even end up in prison for injuring someone who broke into your house. So be careful.
8. Get a Dog (Or Pretend to Have One)
Dogs are man’s best friend, but they are also some of the best protectors. They bark whenever they hear a suspicious noise, and they might even attack someone who breaks into your home. Burglars know this, and they don’t want to get bitten. So if you have a dog, they are less likely to break in. Some people even buy a “beware of dog” sign to put in their window, even if they don’t have a dog!
7. Learn How to Use Your Phone’s Silent Emergency Features
When someone breaks into your house, you should call the police. But many people who have experienced being home while there is a break-in have expressed being so terrified, they are afraid to make a sound. On the iPhone X and up, they have a feature where you can slide the screen and silently notify 911 that you are having an emergency. Check to see if your phone has one of these features. If not, consider upgrading.
6. Put Your Ladders Away
For a lot of people, this seems like common sense. But if you have been working on your house, put your ladders away! Having a ladder leaning on the side of your house is just inviting someone to use it to break in on the second floor.
5. Ask Friends and Family to Watch Your House When You’re Away
One of the best home security hacks is to simply ask someone you know to watch your house while you’re gone. And if you don’t know anyone in your local area, you can also hire a house sitter to help you.
4. If Possible, Figure Out a Secret Hiding Space
Something that makes a lot of people feel more comfortable with the possibility of a break-in Not everyone will have this option, especially if you live in an apartment.
3. Hide Your Trash (Especially Boxes of New Products)
One of the most common things thieves look for is a new box on trash day. For example, if you bought a new 80-inch smart TV and put the box out by the curb, it’s letting everyone else in your neighborhood know that you have a new TV.
2. Inviting Strangers Over When Selling Online
Nowadays, it’s very common to buy and sell things online with complete strangers. And with local listings on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, some people do this all the time. However, be careful when inviting strangers over your house. These people could be buying things from the Internet just to get a sneak peek of what you have going on inside of your home.
If at all possible, meet with someone in a neutral location, like a busy grocery store parking lot.
1. Trim the Shrubbery
Believe it or not, landscaping is one of the little-known home security hacks! Burglars will hide in trees or bushes and other overgrown parts of your back and front yard. So if you are always staying on top of your landscaping, burglars don’t have anywhere to hide. This might potentially deter them from trying to break in, because they know it will be too hard.
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