What does safety mean to you? It should mean knowing all you can about home security. It is important to ensure your valuables and loved ones are safe when in your residence. Continue reading this article for a plethora of tips and tricks to get the job done in your house.

When you buy a new house, be sure the locks are changed. You don’t know the exact number of copies of that key the previous owners have or have handed out. Having a locksmith replace the locks will ensure that no strangers have a key. This is also a good idea in the event that you misplace your keys.

Do you have an outdoor dog? Your dog is an excellent place to hide your spare key. Attach your spare key inside the collar of your dog. This works very well if you have a pet that is not very fond of strangers. You will get the access you need without having to worry about your safety.

If your security system alarm goes off and scares the burglar away, you can be fined for a false alarm. If the police send someone to check your property in response to a security alert and no burglar is there, it is considered a false alarm. You can be fined and charged because your security system worked.

Do not leave an extra key under your doormat or any other place that a burglar would look for it. If you know that you have a tendency to misplace your keys, it would be a good idea to leave an extra set with one of your neighbors, or you can leave them inside your car.

Get your garage clean. Homeowners often use their garage for storage, filling it so full that you can no longer fit a car in. Parking your car in the garage can foil potential thieves in several ways. First of all, they will not be able to break into your car. Additionally, when your car is hidden away in the garage, it is harder to track whether you are actually home or not.

Sit your family down and create a fire escape plan depending on what region of the house you are in. This is crucial, as it will serve as the quickest plan to leave the house safely and effectively in an emergency. Practice your plan with your family as these few hours can save lives.

If you have a door in your garage that leads to the inside of your home, make sure that you keep your garage door down when no one is out there. Having an open door gives a burglar a place to enter, which means you and your family may be in danger.

If you are moving into a new home, the first thing you should do to make your home more secure is to change the locks. You do not have to change the actual locks, a locksmith can re-key the locks to make them inaccessible with any of the previous keys.

Dogs are helpful in keeping your home safe. Burglars do not want extra attention drawn to them and even a small, noisy dog can deter someone who wants to break into your home. A trained guard dog may not make the best pet, and you don’t have to have an attack dog to keep burglars away.

How much space do you have between your door and its frame? Having too much room here is like an open invitation for a burglar to use some sort of jimmy to get inside your home. You can reinforce your door with a thin piece of plywood or sheet metal.

Don’t hide your spare house key in an obvious place outside. The days of safely hiding the spare key under the doormat are long gone. Placing your key in an obvious area like this now may help you if you get locked out, but it could also be an invitation for a thief to enter your home. It’s best to avoid hiding spare keys on your property. You should either keep a spare key with a trusted neighbor or get a fingerprint or keypad door lock.

Each of your exterior doors needs to have a solid lock installed, which means a deadbolt. If there is an existing deadbolt on the door, check to be sure it is at least one inch long. If not, you should be able to replace the lock yourself. Simply go to a hardware store and shop around.

Your home is your castle, but it will be nothing more than a pit of despair if you don’t protect it and what resides inside. This article has given you the knowledge you need, but it is up to you to implement it. Start today and rest well tonight, tomorrow and into the future.

Safety Tips For Homeowners: A Guide To Protecting Yourself And Your Valuables was originally published on Spring