Burglary is something that goes on in every area. However, you can take action to prevent being targeted. Here are some of the best tips to do so.

Make sure your tools are always out of sight and locked away safely

It is recommended that you keep your tools locked in secure drawers or cabinets. You should always ensure your garden sheds are always locked and you keep your fence in good condition at all times.

For example, my husband enjoys gardening quite frequently. However, he usually leaves his gardening tools unsecured and out in the open. Our garden shed is also usually open. This is a bad habit that needs to be changed.

Even though the fence around our home is well secured, there is an alleyway in the back of our home and garden which burglars can easily use to get into our home.

Another tool that many burglars easily use to get into a home is bricks and we usually have many bricks simply lying around in our garden. It's time to take care of those bricks!

Ensure your financial information or car keys are not laying around

The majority of experienced burglars usually avoid stealing large things such as stereos, televisions, etc due to their ability to attract attention. According to the police, most burglars strive to quickly move in and out of your home with a time limit of about 10 minutes.

As a result, they are typically more interested in small items that are highly valuable. This includes jewelry, money, car keys, and even financial and personal information that they can easily sell to identity thieves.

You should avoid placing your car keys anywhere that is easily seen from your front door. This is necessary because this placement makes it very quick and easy for burglars to see them when they enter. There are even burglars who often pretend to be salespersons to quickly scope what they can easily steal.

We have a front door key holder with hooks where we typically hang our keys. However, we need to stop doing so.

Unfortunately, it is very easy to forget that you have personal information strewn around your home. So, make the extra effort to put this information away in a secured filing cabinet. Alternatively, you can use a shredder to get rid of it if you don't need it anymore.

This won't cost you very much as all you'll need to purchase is a padlock. If you want to purchase a shredder, then this is also very cheap and should cost a max of £20.

High hedges

Burglars typically look for targets according to the ease in which they can enter and exit the property. As a result, you should look for ways to make this a much slower process by having obstacles on your property that would deter them from targeting you in the first place.

Many burglars would not break into a home that is easily and fully viewed by other persons such as neighbors. As a result, if you have high hedges, then you should cut and trim them regularly. This will allow your neighbors to easily see if there are strange persons and burglars in or around your home.

I personally have a hedge next to the driveway for privacy. However, this has become a security issue and as a result, we have decided to cut it low with hedge clippers. Once you keep your hedges low and well-trimmed, this will act as a huge deterrent against thieves.

Install better lighting

Burglars don't want to be caught in the act and as a result, if you improve the lighting around your home, this will also act as a deterrent.

We have lights around our home but have installed a couple of extra security lights that activate when there is any motion. These were quite cheap and arguably worth the little investment. 

Next, burglars also want to avoid making noises that would attract any attention. So, you can install a gravel driveway. However, this would be more expensive. You should consider it at some point since walking on gravel is quite noisy and will go a long way in deterring burglars.

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Keep your windows and doors locked

This is certainly the easiest way to prevent burglars. However, it is easily forgotten.

Ensure that all of your doors are locked at all times, as well as your windows. This will make it significantly more difficult for burglars to get into your property. If you have old locks, it may be worth changing to secure mortice door locks.

We usually only use window locks when we leave our home on holidays, but this is another bad habit to stop. Locking your windows is very easy to do and it will cost you absolutely nothing to do so.

If you have UPVC doors, make sure that you properly lock them from the inside. This is necessary because just about anyone, including burglars, can easily open them through the use of a hook.

Strengthen patio and glass doors

If you have glass doors, then these can be very easily smashed by a burglar. However, you can fix this by purchasing some shatterproof film at just about any hardware store, which you can place onto the glass which will strengthen it.

Many shatterproof films that can help your glass doors and patio doors to remain in one piece, even after being hit with a crowbar or even the blast from a bomb! This is also an inexpensive method.

On patio doors, you can secure them by using a broom handle or other long piece of wood and place it along the bottom of the door by the track. This will cause the door to jam and prevent any burglars from entering.

Always make your home appear occupied

You should always make it look as though there is someone inside of your home, especially if you're out.

This can be done by using a timer for your lights to automatically come on. Also, you can simply leave your radio or television on while you're out.

If you go on holiday, be sure to ask someone you trust to check on your home or even ask your neighbor to do so. You can even ask them to park their vehicle in front of your home or even on the driveway.

Personally, when I go out during the day, I tend to leave the television on for my dog.

One thing that easily shows that you're out or on vacation is mail that sticks out from your mailbox. So, make sure that you have a friend remove the mail regularly or even a neighbor.

We usually ask our neighbor to do this for us when we travel and also have a pet sitter for our cat. However, if you don't want to use those options, you can utilize the "keep safe" service by Royal Mail where they hold onto your mail for as long as two months until you return from vacation. This service is inexpensive. However, you'll need to give them at least 5 days' notice before your vacation.

Don't talk about vacation plans on social media platforms

According to the police, you should avoid telling people on social media that you're going on vacation or posting live holiday photos.

This is essential because thieves and burglars can get access to this information and enter your home when they know you won't be there.

Personally, I don't post before or during my vacation but will post pictures when I've returned. This little tip will definitely help to keep your home and valuables safe.