Simple Ways to Improve Your Home Security

Small changes, real difference

Most burglaries in the UK are not the work of master criminals. They are quick, quiet, opportunistic break-ins by someone who spotted an easy target and took a chance. Police figures consistently show that most break-ins happen through a door, that many are over in a matter of minutes, and that a large number are avoided entirely because the property looked like more hassle than it was worth.

That is genuinely good news for families. You do not need to turn your home into a fortress or spend thousands on a smart security system. A handful of sensible, low-cost improvements — some of which take an afternoon — can move your house firmly down the list of attractive targets.

Start with your doors

Roughly two-thirds of attempted break-ins involve a door, so this is where your money and attention work hardest. Walk around your home and try to think like someone in a hurry: which door would you pick?

• Fit a five-lever mortice lock to any wooden front or back door. Look for the British Standard kitemark (BS 3621); it is what locksmiths and insurers look for as a mark of decent quality.
• Upgrade your euro cylinders. If your doors use them, choose anti-snap, anti-bump and anti-pick versions. They are inexpensive, and swapping one takes only a few minutes with the right measurements.
• Double-lock every time you leave. Lift the handle and turn the key fully. A door left on the latch can be opened with a firm shove.
• Never leave keys in the lock or on a hook beside the door. Thieves use poles through letterboxes to fish for them. If a carer or cleaner needs access, a wall-mounted keysafe is far safer.
• Check patio and bi-fold doors. Make sure the multi-point locking is actually engaged, and consider adding surface bolts at the top and bottom for extra resistance.

Windows and other weak spots

Ground-floor windows are the second favourite entry point, particularly small ones above a flat roof or beside a wheelie bin. Key-operated window locks on every accessible window are cheap and effective, and they are often a condition of your home insurance.

If you like to sleep with a window open in summer, fit a restrictor so it can only open a few inches — wide enough for air, too narrow for a person. Pull the key out and keep it somewhere you would remember in a fire, not on the windowsill. Also move keys, handbags and car fobs away from the front door, hall table and any window where they are visible from outside. A cat flap is another easy reach for a determined arm, so choose one positioned away from the door locks and keep it clean and well fitted.

Light, sound and the look of occupancy

Burglars dislike being seen and heard. Motion-sensor lighting is one of the simplest deterrents going: an LED floodlight above the front door and another at the back covers the two routes that matter most. Set them to trigger easily and stay on long enough to be useful.

Inside, the goal is to make the house look lived in even when it is not.

• Use plug-in timers on a couple of lamps in different rooms, ideally with slightly random settings rather than everything switching at once.
• Leave a radio on a timer during the evening — a low murmur of voices is surprisingly off-putting.
• Consider a video doorbell or a simple alarm with a visible external bell box. A working alarm is worth far more than a dummy one.
• Light the front path with low-level lights so callers and visitors are never hidden in shadow.

Gardens, sheds and boundaries

Your garden often supplies the tools a burglar needs. Ladders, spades, forks and even a sturdy garden chair can become a leg-up to a first-floor window.

• Lock tools and ladders away in a shed or garage, and fit a good padlock plus a hasp with concealed screws.
• Secure bikes to a ground anchor rather than leaving them loose on the floor.
• Lock side gates with bolts at the top and bottom, and keep boundary fences and hedges in good repair. A gap that lets you see the pavement is a gap that lets passers-by see a burglar.
• Plant prickly shrubs such as holly, hawthorn or pyracantha along vulnerable boundaries, and keep gravel paths — they are noisy underfoot.
• Don't advertise your purchases. Break down boxes for new televisions, laptops and games consoles and put them inside the recycling, not on the kerb.

Habits, holidays and keeping your cover valid

Security is as much about routine as hardware. Before a holiday, cancel deliveries and milk, ask a neighbour to park on your drive, and use timers on lights and a radio. Tell one trusted neighbour your dates rather than announcing them on social media, and ask them to move post away from the letterbox. A house with a tidy, empty-looking porch and no car can look abandoned within two days.

Finally, spend ten minutes with your home insurance paperwork. Many policies require a five-lever lock on external doors, key-operated window locks on the ground floor, or that outbuildings are locked and alarms set when the house is empty. Photograph valuable items, note down serial numbers and keep receipts in a safe place or in the cloud. It is dull work, but it makes a claim dramatically easier if the worst does happen — and, just as importantly, it means your cover stays valid when you need it most.