Vacant Home Tips

Here are a few tips, besides installing an alarm system, that homeowners might want to look into to help safe guard their property:

Exterior Tips:

• Shrubbery should never block the view of your doors and windows. An intruder may hide behind the shrubbery while trying to gain access to the house.
• Good exterior lighting. An inexpensive timer or photoelectric cell will automatically turn lights on at dusk and off at dawn.
• Make sure any mail or newspaper delivery is picked up and not piling up.
• If possible, leave a car in the driveway.
• Mow the lawn in warm weather and shovel the walk and driveway in cold.

Garages:

• Keep garage doors closed and locked.
• Cover garage windows so people cannot see if the garage is empty.

Windows:

• Make sure windows are locked. In addition to the lock, inside the residence, place a length of wood on top of the window to the top of the frame, preventing the window frombeing raised from the outside.

Lighting:

• Use a timer to have a lamp of two turn on at night.

Other inexpensive outdoor deterrents:

• Signs: Beware of Dog, Operation ID, Neighborhood Group Watch, or alarm signs can be purchased on-line.

Other:

• Trusted family members and neighbors parking a car at the residence and/or stopping by and staying for a while.
• Hunting “Trail Cameras” that use Infrared Flash, may be placed in the residence to help catch the suspect(s) in the event the residence is broken into.