Good Tips on Security

It pays to make your home safe and secure. Your insurance will be cheaper and the thieves are less likely to come visiting.

If you follow these Tips, you’re likely to reduce the cost of your insurance.

Doors

• Fit 5 lever mortise deadlocks to all external doors. Make sure that the locks meet BS3621 standard. This should ensure that your door cannot be unlocked with the thief’s favourite piece of plastic card or by smashing an adjoining window and leaning through to open the door.
• Patio doors are perhaps the thieves’ favourite entry point. Many can be taken out of their tracks and opened with a garden spade! The way to stop this is to fit special patio door locks top and bottom.
• If you have double doors leading outside then should also be fitted with 5 lever mortise deadlocks and key operated wind up wind down bolts which are fitted into the structure of the door. The keys should be removable. These bolts should be fitted to the doors both at the top and bottom.
• Fit all external doors with bolts, which you can close before you, go to bed at night.
• Don’t leave any keys visible from the front door or adjoining windows. Believe it or not, but there has been an major increase in thieves using fishing rods through letterboxes to hook out car and house keys.

Windows

Ground floor windows and upper windows facing onto roofs, especially flat roofs, should be fitted with key operated fasteners. The type you need will depend upon how your windows open. In fact why not fit these locks to all opening windows? The cost isn’t great.

Security Safe

It’s a good idea to store jewellery and small valuables in a home safe. These days, there is a wide range of safes available ranging from freestanding safes to those which can be built into a floor or wall. There are quite a few specialist web sites selling these safes so try typing “wall safe UK” into your favourite search engine and take a look.

Burglar Alarms

We advise you to have your alarm professionally fitted. The best are those which automatically alert the police – but they are also the most expensive to install and maintain.

Neighbourhood Watch Scheme

If you are in a Neighbourhood Watch Area then join it. Your local Crime Prevention Police Officer will be able to tell you whether a Scheme exists in your area and who to contact for details. If there isn’t one talk to your neighbours about starting one. You’ll get lots of help from your local Crime Prevention Police Officer.

Property Marking Kits

It’s a good idea to mark your postcode and house number on all your valuables and especially your TV, Hi-Fi, photographic and electrical items. You can even mark your mobile phone. The markings are only visible when ultra violet light is shone on them and it greatly increases the chances of recovering anything that is stolen.

Take Photos

Take photos of all your valuables and, if they have a serial number, write it on the back of the photo.
Keep the photos safe!

Don’t advertise the fact that you’re away from home!

• Leave lights on or even better get an automatic light timer that’ll turn a lamp on and off.
• Cancel the milk and newspapers
• Don’t close all the curtains
• Don’t leave a house key under a pot or some other equally convenient and obvious hiding place
• Ideally, leave a key with a friendly neighbour

Frequently Asked Questions related to the above topic.
Click below if you wish tread them: -

• What does Home Insurance cover? (also known as Buildings Insurance)
• Do I need Home & Contents Insurance?
• What does Contents Insurance cover?
• What parts of my property are unlikely tbe covered by Home Insurance?
• How can we promise you a really low price?
• Do You have to buy your Home & Contents Insurance through your mortgage lender or mortgage broker?