The cheapskate guide to home security

One of the best ways to improve your home security and bring down your home insurance premium is to install an alarm system. However, alarm systems can be quite expensive to install and maintain. Thankfully, there are a number of steps that you can take to improve your home security situation without breaking the bank.

Do not let the hedges, shrubs, trees and bushes that are near the windows of your property to become overgrown, as this can provide a burglar with a convenient hiding place on your property, making it more likely that they will target your home.

You can uprate the security of any door by installing a deadbolt, which makes the door more robust and harder to open without a key. Ideally, breaking into your home should cause as much of a disturbance as possible, so you do not want to give burglars any easy options.

You can buy motion detectors which turn on your patio lights fairly cheaply, and this can be a great way to deter burglars, not to mention mischievous children, from entering the grounds of your property, and hint that you have a more involved alarm system in place.

Few burglars will risk trying to gain access to a property that has a guard dog, but actually owning a dog can be a very expensive business, what with all the vet bills and expensive tins of jellied meat that a dog owner has to pay out for nowadays. If you cannot afford to keep a dog, or do not want the hassle, simply faking the presence of a four legged friend can be an effective deterrent to burglars. Leave some obvious canine accoutrements, such as a dog bowl, collar, or leash outside the front of your house, and most burglars will move along.

Women who live on their own might want to leave some large, dirty work boots and gloves outside the front door to give the impression that they are living with a particularly robust male companion, which could act as a deterrent to potential burglars.

Timer switches can be bought very cheaply, and can really help to create the impression that a property is occupied when it is not. Get a few, and make sure that at least one light on each side of the house is on during the evening. Setting one up to turn on a radio for spells while you are out can also be a highly effective deterrent.

All the cunning ruses in the world may be undone if you fail to lock all the doors and windows every time you leave the house. A lot of burglaries are opportunistic, quick affairs, so even if you are only going out to the shop, make sure that everything is locked before you do so.

With Kwik Fit home insurance , your home and your treasured possessions will be well-protected from the unexpected.

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