6 Things Burglars Look for When Targeting Your Home

Our home is our castle, so it can be devastating when someone intrudes on that. Burglars not only take our belongings but also our confidence, our trust and many of the good feelings that we had about our home. The cost of a burglary can be huge, both financially and emotionally so it is important to make sure that you protect your home in every way that you can.

Last year, around two in 100 households were burgled. Sometimes, making your home burglar proof is as much about looking at the things that you don’t do as well as the things that you should do. When choosing a target, there are things that burglars will look out for to know that your home is an easier target than others.

Here, Nick Booth, Director of ISET UK looks into what might make your house appeal to thieves and what you can do to change that.

1. Windows and doors

Your windows and doors are the easiest and most obvious ways for a burglar to gain entry to your house without alerting attention, so these should be the first things that you pay attention to. You should make sure that they are always locked properly and try to fit maximum security locks where you can. Unbelievably, only four out of ten homeowners actually lock their doors and windows when they go out, so your home can be left vulnerable.

We realise that during the summer months you want to leave your windows open to allow air to flow into your house, but it can be easy to forget that you have done this, leaving an open invitation when you go out. Make sure that you get into a routine of checking each one before you leave and look up at your house from the driveway to see if you can see any windows that might be left open.

2. Shadows

It might sound like something from a film, but burglars like the dark and shadowy areas around your home, as it helps to disguise what they are up to. Generally, burglaries take place in the evenings or at night as they are less likely to be seen, and they will be look for anything that will conceal them. This might include dark areas or spots that are hidden by trees, cars, sheds and walls.

A motion detector light can be a brilliant way to combat this, as it will illuminate any area as soon as a burglar tries to reach it. Without a corner to hide in, they will be more exposed and at risk of detection and so will be less attracted to your property as a target.

3. No protection

Burglars are on the look out for homes which are not adequately protected. This might mean fitting a burglar alarm to alert you, and usually the rest of the street, to the fact that someone is trying to break in. You can also now make use of smart home security such as video doorbells that allow you to see who is lurking outside, speak to them and record footage. These all give you control through your mobile phone so even if you are not at home, you are still able to take action.

You can also make use of other forms of security cameras, which not only capture footage in the event of an incident, but also act as a huge deterrent to burglars who know that they are likely to be caught on camera.

4. Technology weaknesses

Burglars cannot just harm your home by breaking in and taking your valuables, but now they can attack using technology. They can gain access to your devices and find other ways to rob you, so smart home solutions need to be put in place to stop this happening. Make sure you have secure and varied passwords on everything, including your Wi-Fi, and complete security updates on everything when they appear.

5. Holidays

The one thing a burglar really wants is the comfort of knowing that they will not be disturbed, so they will look for houses where they know that the owners are on holiday. It is therefore important not to advertise the fact that you are away. You can ask a trusted neighbour to check in and make sure that things like post do not build up somewhere that it can be seen.

You can also use smart home technology to make it look like someone is home, even when they are not. Smart plugs can make sure that your lights still come on in the evening, and you can even get them turn on the TV or radio so that noise can be heard coming from the property. This will make it look less like there is no-one home, even when you are sunning yourself on a beach thousands of miles away.

6. Easy targets

A burglar never knows if they are going to find much to steal when they break in, so try not to give them clues or access to items of value. Make sure that your car keys cannot be seen from the front door and other high value items like watches or jewellery are kept somewhere secure.

Burglars are looking for anything that they can grab quickly, so keep things like purses and handbags put away to make it harder for them. Leaving things on view in the garden or through a window simply provides temptation for the opportunist thief. It isn’t just items of value to think about; make sure ladders and stools that could allow someone access over a fence or into a window have also been put away.

We all dread the day that someone chooses to break into our home, but there are simple measures that we can take to make our homes less appealing to those who would want to try. A burglary usually takes less than 10 minutes, so doing things that make this hard is more likely to put them off and stop you from being their next victim.