Are you starting to get ready to head back North? Check out our safety tips and put some thinking into securing your home. The reason is that every year, there are over 2.5 million burglaries in the US. Nearly three quarters are home burglaries. This means there are almost 3 break-ins every minute. During the summer months these numbers spike especially in the Southern U.S. Because 85% of home invasions are not conducted by professional burglars there are a few easy things one should do! But there are more reasons to get prepared. During your absence storms will occur. Your caretakers like landscaping or pool companies might not show up and a water leak could cause severe damage. Upgrade your technology and find professional and reliable partners.
Safety tips for Florida homeowners 1: Invest in Smart Home Technology
- Update your security system so that you can monitor your home any time.
- Add light to your house that you can turn on and off from a distance.
- Fire Alarm
- Water alarm
- Wifi door openers
- Add outside cameras
- Add a smart hub to monitor potential water leaks and unusual temperature changes in your home. This will also help you to notice power outages.
Safety tips for Florida homeowners 2: Secure your entry points
You can make your home harder to break into by strengthening physical defenses, such as:
- Install solid core doors, buy heavy duty locks, and use long screws in lock plates
- Secure your sliding glass doors with sturdy pin-type locks, and put a rod of wood or metal in the track of your sliding doors or windows
- Lock double-hung windows using key locks and check them nightly and before you leave
- Make sure your garage door is secure, and always lock the door for the garage to the home interior
- If your home has skylights, make sure they also are secured from the inside to prevent entry
Read our post on Alligator Safety Tips Florida!
Safety Tip 3: Find A professional And Reliable Partner For Homewatch and Potential Construction
None of us wants a remodeling project while we are at home. But the more people are working around your home the higher the probability that something goes wrong – inside and outside your home!
Safety tips for Florida homeowners 4: General Rules
- Don`t post your absence or valuables on social media.
- Protect Your Valuables in a safe or take them up North
- Don’t allow maintenance people access to your home while you are up North if you cannot supervise them via cameras or a reliable homewatch company.
- Make sure your mailbox gets emptied regularly
- Install motion sensor lights, and allow your home security company to place signage – these steps alone can deter burglars from choosing your home
Safety Tip 5: Car thefts in Florida are on the rise. One major problem is that car thefts often stay unnoticed over long periods of time.
- Cover garage windows with obscuring film so no one can see if your car is inside or not, and keep garage door openers secure.
- Add outdoor cameras and a tech doorbell to see who might check if you are at home.
- Consider a security camera to your garage that you can monitor from far away.
- Add a manual lock to the steering wheel
- Take all keys with you or lock them in a secure and well hidden safe.
This article is for informational purposes only.
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