3 Ways You Could Be Compromising Your Home Security

Humans are creatures of habit. We all tend to do the same things we have always done, moving through familiar steps, often repeating patterns and behaviors that we have learned from our parents.

For the most part, our desire to follow existing habits isn’t a bad thing. It’s comforting, and most people find a sense of serenity and peace from moving through the same motions. However, there is one potential downside: what if one of your oh-so-familiar and comfortable habits is actually problematic?

The habits most liable to become problematic tend to relate to home security. If you do any of these three things, then you’re definitely going to want to think about switching your behavior to ensure that your home is as safe as can be…

1) Keeping a key outside your home

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Admittedly, it’s easy to see why this is tempting. If you lose your keys while out of the house, having a spare key stored somewhere in your front or back garden seems to be a sensible choice.

However, it’s also the first thing that any prospective burglar will look for. No matter how well-hidden and unobtrusive you think your hiding spot is, burglars are practiced at spotting where spare keys might be stored. It’s far safer for the security of your home to just store locksmith details on your phone, so you can always be sure of entering the property even if you do lose your key.

2) Setting precise timers for lighting

One of the most recognized tips for home security, particularly when you go on vacation, is to use timer switches to turn lights on and off. However, the scope of this solution is limited; any determined prospective burglar who is casing your home will quickly learn that the on/off sequence is clearly regimented. If this is observed, then it just confirms the fact that your family is away from the home for an extended period of time.

Instead, consider smart lighting or switches that you can control remotely via an app. This will mean that lights go on and off at random intervals, rather than as per a careful schedule.

3) Relying too heavily on an alarm system

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As useful as alarm systems are, they’re not infallible. You still need to observe the basics of home security, such as locking all windows and doors and securing the perimeter of your property. It’s important to see an alarm system as an aid to effective home security, but not home security in and of itself.

Final thoughts

If you have been going performing one (or more) of the habits above for a number of years, it might be tempting to think that the issue clearly isn’t that bad. After all, if it were so damaging, surely you’d have experienced a problem with it by now?

However, the truth is that it only takes one intruder or burglar to spot a weakness, and while you may have been lucky in the past, there’s no guarantee you will be in the future. By modifying problematic behaviors, you can be sure that your home is always as secure as possible when you’re out of the house.