Secure your home to reduce the risk of break-ins - and get covered with buildings insurance
Should someone try to break into your home, it's important to have buildings insurance that will cover you in the event of any damage.
Poorly designed doors and windows are a thief's dream come true, providing an easy entrance - and potential access to your valuables. So it pays to make sure yours are properly secure.
Check out buildings insurance quotes online if you need a policy, and follow these top tips to help make your home less of a target.
Make sure your doors are secure
If you have wooden external doors, either front or back, they should be made of solid timber and have two locks: a British Standard 5-lever mortice lock plus an automatic deadlocking rim latch.
PVCu and aluminium doors usually have multi-locking systems. Once you've locked the door, be sure to remove the key from the inside, otherwise burglars could reach in through the letterbox to open the door, or use something sharp to force the mechanism. Fitting an internal letterbox shield can also make it more difficult to reach through to the handle inside.
French doors should have at least three locking points, and if you have doors accessible from a patio, you should fit an anti-lift device so thieves can't lift them off their runners.
Don't make windows easy entrance points
Any ground floor windows that could provide a way into your home should be lockable - and, of course, be sure to lock them whenever you leave the house.
It's important to secure PVCu and aluminium windows with security clips, tape or sealant to prevent burglars simply lifting the frames out, and louvre window panes should be secured for the same reason, or replaced with a solid glass panel.
Window handles should be multi-point locking. This means that when you turn the key, several bolts secure the frame. If not, you should consider fitting surface-mounted, key-operated window locks.
Sometimes a deterrent is enough
Although you should have buildings insurance cover in place in the event of a break-in, there are things you can do which could stop burglars even making it that far.
Burglar alarms with flashing lights or a CCTV camera on the outside of your house can scare many burglars into not even taking the risk - they want to avoid being seen, heard or drawing attention at all costs.
For a lower-cost option, motion-sensor security lighting outside can shock burglars into thinking they might be seen, and disturb them enough to not want to continue.
Of course, even the most effective preventative measures won't eliminate the risk entirely. That's why it's still worth finding buildings and contents insurance to fit your needs, just in case.
Poorly designed doors and windows are a thief's dream come true, providing an easy entrance - and potential access to your valuables. So it pays to make sure yours are properly secure.
Check out buildings insurance quotes online if you need a policy, and follow these top tips to help make your home less of a target.
Make sure your doors are secure
If you have wooden external doors, either front or back, they should be made of solid timber and have two locks: a British Standard 5-lever mortice lock plus an automatic deadlocking rim latch.
PVCu and aluminium doors usually have multi-locking systems. Once you've locked the door, be sure to remove the key from the inside, otherwise burglars could reach in through the letterbox to open the door, or use something sharp to force the mechanism. Fitting an internal letterbox shield can also make it more difficult to reach through to the handle inside.
French doors should have at least three locking points, and if you have doors accessible from a patio, you should fit an anti-lift device so thieves can't lift them off their runners.
Don't make windows easy entrance points
Any ground floor windows that could provide a way into your home should be lockable - and, of course, be sure to lock them whenever you leave the house.
It's important to secure PVCu and aluminium windows with security clips, tape or sealant to prevent burglars simply lifting the frames out, and louvre window panes should be secured for the same reason, or replaced with a solid glass panel.
Window handles should be multi-point locking. This means that when you turn the key, several bolts secure the frame. If not, you should consider fitting surface-mounted, key-operated window locks.
Sometimes a deterrent is enough
Although you should have buildings insurance cover in place in the event of a break-in, there are things you can do which could stop burglars even making it that far.
Burglar alarms with flashing lights or a CCTV camera on the outside of your house can scare many burglars into not even taking the risk - they want to avoid being seen, heard or drawing attention at all costs.
For a lower-cost option, motion-sensor security lighting outside can shock burglars into thinking they might be seen, and disturb them enough to not want to continue.
Of course, even the most effective preventative measures won't eliminate the risk entirely. That's why it's still worth finding buildings and contents insurance to fit your needs, just in case.
