1. Install an alarm system

The easiest way to burglar-proof your home is to install an alarm system. This might mean purchasing and installing a DIY security system or hiring someone to do it for you. Even the most basic of alarm systems come with a keypad and door sensors which will make an awful lot of noise, should someone try to burgle your house. If you have a little extra money to spend, a monitored home security system from an alarm/security company is your best bet.

2. Install a smart doorbell

Always know who is at your door by installing a smart doorbell. See, hear and speak to your visitors even when you are not at home. Depending on the smart doorbell you buy, you can get notifications to your phone when someone rings your doorbell or sensors can even pick up movement.

3. Secure your doors

One of the very first things you should do when burglar-proofing your home is focus on your doors. A deadbolt is cost-effective and practical. Investing in a solid deadbolt around the twenty euro mark is well worth the investment.

Installing a dead-lock is another fairly easy step to add a bit of extra security. A dead-lock is an ‘exit-only deadbolt’: it doesn’t even have an external key. Getting past a dead-lock without a key takes serious work. As for sliding locks, a wooden dowel (a cylindrical rod) in the bottom track of the door will keep it from being opened.

4. Install a peep hole

A wide-angle peep hole at eye level on your front door is pretty nifty for seeing who is knocking, especially if you’re not expecting any visitors.

5. Ditch the traditional hiding places for spare keys

Under door mats or flower pots or on top of frames, for example, are not good places for spare keys. While they’re easy to remember, these spots have become something of a cliché and are the first place someone will look to source a key. Exercise common sense!

6. Secure your windows

Windows should have secondary blocking devices installed to prevent sliding them open from the outside. For double-hung windows, you can invest in centre locks on the corners or sides.

7. Install a garage timer

The garage door might seem tough, but they can often be over-looked from a security point of view. Accidentally leaving the garage door open sometimes happens too, especially if you’ve got kids running in and out. You can pick up a garage door timer for a reasonable price that automatically closes the door after a given timeframe.

8. Make your personal possessions burglar-proof

While you can’t make any of your possessions 100% burglar-proof, you can take certain steps to make your items a bit safer:

  • Do a household inventory, with photos of your most valuable items. If anything is stolen, you have back-up of what they look like and proof that you owned them.
  • Get your initials engraved on your valuables. That way you can prove they are yours, but it also makes it harder for burglars to sell them on.
  • Don’t keep your valuables in a really obvious place e.g. all your best jewellery sitting in a box in the middle of your bedroom.
  • Always lock your car and never leave the keys idling in the ignition.
  • Our home insurance policies cover personal money and credit cards stolen from the home.

With Cornmarket Home Insurance, you can rest assured that you are getting a great level of cover, at a very competitive price. For more information, click here or call us on 0818 601 601