Ways to keep your home safe on a limited budget

As lockdown restrictions ease further and police predict burglaries will be on the rise over the summer, with opportunist thieves on the lookout for open doors and windows, security experts recommend some cheap and easy methods of deterring unwanted visitors to your home.

While burglaries do still happen when the occupant is in, empty homes make it easier for thieves to gain entry unnoticed.

Most burglaries occur in the evening, according to the ONS, as that’s when homeowners are most likely to be out.

Although purchasing a fully integrated smart home security system is still recommended as the best way to ward off burglars, there are a number of changes you can make around your property within a budget, to try to keep them at bay.

Lay down some gravel. It’s simple but it works!

The modus operandi of most burglars is to enter a property quickly and quietly, take what they can, and leave as soon as possible.

Any steps you can take to curtail this will work to thwart their plans.

Laying down crunchy gravel in your garden, or in the entrance to your front door, is a great cost-effective way to make sure anyone trying to enter your home discreetly is unable to, so may be put off from attempting to gain entry all together.

Placing gravel strategically by points of entry at windows and doors will only make it more difficult for burglars to enter the property in the silence that they hope for.

Erect outdoor lights, as this is a great way to deter burglars and keep them at bay.

Naturally, the amount you spend on outdoor lights can vary greatly, but even those at the cheaper end of the scale can help.

If a potential thief thinks that they are going to be identified when approaching a property, it will make them think twice.

Lights that are triggered by motion are best, but any with a strong beam can be useful.

Use timers on indoor lights if planning to be out of the house for an extended period of time.

In order to fool criminals into thinking that you are at home, you can time your lights to come on at certain times in the evening.

Smart lights are the best option for this, however you can pick up simple timer switches for very little, allowing you to programme when they come on.

Leave the television or radio on if you expect to be out of the house for a considerable period of time.

If a burglar hears voices coming from a room in a property, then they are going to be much less likely to try and enter it.

Hide valuables in unusual or unlikely places.

If your house is to be burgled, then ensuring that the burglar spends as much time looking for valuables as possible is key.

As mentioned, they will want to be in and out as quickly as they can, so keep your valuables (including items such as your passport and other documentation) well out of sight and out of reach.

Although a safe is best, simply hiding them in places that nobody would ever look (for example, a board game box in a cupboard, or an old DVD case) is a great technique.

To reiterate, ensuring that burglars can’t enter a property quickly or quietly (or at all!) is the ultimate deterrent.

The above measures are all recommended by Robin Knox, CEO and security expert at smart home security startup www.boundary. co.uk site.