Home Security Basics

Everyday security habits

From the guide’s own everyday habits. Tick each one as you go. Your ticks stay on this device. These are examples; your home may need others.

• Lock doors and windows every time you leave, and at night, even if you will only be gone a minute.
• Use the deadbolt, not just the knob lock. A knob lock alone is easy to get past.
• Keep entries and walkways lit at night. Motion or dusk to dawn lights work well.
• Close blinds or curtains at night, and keep valuables out of view from windows and cars.
• Get to know your neighbors and trade numbers, so you can look out for each other.
• Share right away, in writing, if a lock, latch, window or light isn’t working.

All done. These simple habits make a home a much harder target.

If something feels wrong

1. If you come home and something looks wrong, like a broken window or open door, please don’t go inside.
2. Go somewhere safe, like a neighbor’s home or your car, and call 911.
3. Wait for the police to say it is safe before going back in.
4. Try not to touch anything until the police have looked, and take photos of what you see.
5. Let whoever manages the home know in writing, and ask about repairs to doors, locks or windows.
6. Contact your insurance company if things were taken or damaged. Your police report number will help.

Keep your phone and keys on your nightstand at night. If you hear something worrying, you can call for help or set off your car alarm without leaving the room.

A few things to avoid

• Please don’t hide a spare key under a mat, planter or rock. Leave one with someone you trust instead.
• Please don’t prop open shared entry doors or let strangers follow you into a building.
• Please don’t post travel plans or “away” photos online until you are back home.
• Please don’t change or add locks without talking with whoever manages the home first.

The quick errand habit: many break ins happen through a door left unlocked “just for a minute.” Locking up every time, even when stepping out to the mailbox, closes the easiest way in.

Locks, lights and entries

From the guide’s list for making a home secure. Tick each one as you go. Your ticks stay on this device. These are examples; your home may need others.

• Rekey or change the locks between residents, and keep a simple record of who has keys.
• Make sure exterior doors are solid, with a working deadbolt and a strong strike plate secured with long screws.
• Check that every window locks, and add simple pin locks or a dowel to sliding doors and windows.
• Light entries, walkways, garages and side yards, and trim shrubs that block windows or doors.
• Make sure house numbers are easy to read from the street so help can find the home quickly.
• Talk openly about any cameras on the property, where they are and what they record, before anyone moves in.

All done. The home is ready to help everyone rest easy.

After a concern or break in

• Treat a broken lock, door or window as urgent, and repair or secure it the same day whenever possible.
• After a break in or lost key, rekey the affected locks promptly.
• Replace burned out exterior lights quickly, and check timers after power outages.
• Keep a written record of what was reported, what was done and when.
• Check in kindly with everyone in the home. A scare can be upsetting, and a caring word means a great deal.
• Ask together whether more lighting, a peephole or a door viewer would help everyone feel safer.

Swap the short screws in door strike plates and hinges for longer ones, about 3 inches, that reach the wall framing. It is a small change that makes a door much harder to force.

Cameras, sliding doors and travel

Cameras can be a good way to watch entries, driveways and package areas, as long as everyone in the home knows they are there. Cameras should never record inside bedrooms, bathrooms or anyone else’s private space, and recording audio is restricted in many places.

Sliding doors and windows can sometimes be lifted or pried. A wooden dowel or metal bar in the track, plus a simple pin lock, makes them much harder to open.

When you travel, use light timers, pause or hold mail and deliveries, and ask a neighbor to park in the driveway or take in flyers.

For more, see National Crime Prevention Council: Home and Neighborhood Safety and FTC: How To Secure Your Home Security Cameras.

Guides that go well with this one

• Keys, Locks and Lockouts
• Changing Locks Between Residents
• Smart Locks and Cameras
• Leaving Home for a Trip
• Mail and Package Safety