DIY Home Security Tips

This article gives DIY home security tips and simple to follow ideas to help you protect your home from burglaries.

If you stand outside your front gate you will get an idea of how appealing your house appears to burglars. Opportunist burglars often gain access from the rear of properties but bold thieves have even, though this is rare, taken a removal van into the front and cleared out the house.

For greater security consider having high barriers (like hedges and fences) at the back of the property but low ones at the front. This is because high barriers at the back will act as deterrent to the opportunist burglars (most are this type) and low barriers will mean that the burglars can be easily seen from the road. With this in mind it's important to cut back any excess foliage from your front garden so that there is nowhere to hide. Putting gravel on either your drive or front path can also deter a burglar as it is very hard to walk along this without making a fair amount of noise that could potentially alert neighbours or onlookers.

Be sure to lock away any ladders or tools visible from the road that could be used to gain access to your property. Locking the gates to your drive is a good deterrent to the unlikely event of criminals towing away your car or bringing in a removal van to clear out your house; this is unusual but it does still happen. From standing at the gates to your drive look to see if any flat roofs are nearby that could lead up to a window that could be used to gain entry. If there is one nearby ensure that the window is securely locked, if necessary reinforce this so it takes a lot of trouble to force this open (having to smash this will cause the attention of the neighbours.)

If valuables can be seen from standing at the gates to your home invest in some blinds or rearrange so that they are less obvious. Also make sure any garages or sheds visible from the road are securely locked- you would be surprised how much valuable material you have either in the garage or shed. If they have a window consider using something to cover this so that people can't peer in and be enticed by the contents.

A few years ago the lock on our garage broke so the door would not stay shut. My dad used a brick to keep it shut, a opportunist burglar saw this, easily got in and stole my bike. This could easily been prevented by following the sort of simple procedures outlined in this article. Remember it doesn't take a fortress to persuade a burglar to move onto a less secure home, any signs of precautions and a burglar will get easily scared.

Find out more diy home security tips by visiting http://www.diy-home-security.com, a website that offers tips and advice including information on Home Video Security.