5 ways to make your new home secure

So, you have packed all your belongings, got the new house painted and professionally cleaned, checked for any leaks and got the internet connection. You have even made plans with your family and friends to take care of your kids on that day. Well, it seems you have planned out every major and minor detail to make sure everything goes without a hitch when you are moving into your new house. But have you found time to make your new home secure?

We understand your excitement and also that this would have been an incredibly busy and stressful period for you. While all the boxes on your list look checked, what about the security arrangements in your new house? Have you made sure your new abode is safe for your family right from the day you move in? Let’s take a quick look at 5 most important things to make your new home secure & safe to move in.

1. Rekey or change the old locks

You may have heard this one many time before, and for a good reason. As soon as you get the keys to your new house, call a reliable residential locksmith to either install new locks or rekey existing locks. There could be so many people, including the previous homeowner or the tenant, who might have keys to your place. Realtor, maintenance or cleaning services people, babysitter or contractors are all likely to have a spare set of keys for the current locks. Change or rekey old locks immediately for your family’s safety and peace of mind. And don’t forget the garage door locks, while you are at it.

2. Check the material of the front door and install a deadbolt

Before you move in, ask a professional to review the door material and status of the locks on doors and windows. If the exterior door is old, flimsy or made up of low-quality material, replace it right away. Burglars can easily break a weak door by simply kicking in. Replace it with a strong, dense material such as solid core wood, steel or fibre glass. Check the position of the hinges. If the hinges are located outward, an experienced burglar would be able to work on the hinges to open and lift the door. To avoid this, either reinforce them or move them inside.

Check whether the front door has a Grade 1 or Grade 2 security deadbolt with a solid 1-inch long bolt that extends into the door frame. A deadbolt lock may not be enough. Install a strike box and strengthen the strike plate to reinforce the door.

3. Add a strike box and reinforce your deadbolt strike plate

A typical strike plate is a piece of metal where the latch slides and secures into the door frame. A weak, flimsy strike plate without enough depth can only keep the door shut and not necessarily providing enough security to prevent the door from being forced opened. What can you do to keep burglars from breaking into your home?

Install a strike plate assembly that has a strong deep metal pocket or a steel cup and huge deadbolt strike plates that are firmly connected to the wall stud behind the jamb with 3-inch screws. This makes sure your deadbolt lock and the strike plate are securely and deeply attached into the door frame. This prevents the door to be easily kicked in by burglars. Adding a strike plate will only help if it is correctly installed by a professional locksmith.

4. Invest in security systems
   

• Install a wide-angle digital peephole to get a better view of who’s outside the door.
• Install security cameras that are visible from the outside. Sending out clear signals that your home is under surveillance is enough to ward off potential burglars.
• Install light around exterior doors as well as garage door. A motion detector LED light is another effective strategy to up your home security without spending a bomb.

5. Remove overgrown shrubs and bushes

 All that overrun vegetation around your new home serves as a perfect hiding spot for the burglars. It gives them opportunity to wait until you are out of the house or for some other opportune moment to try their luck. Remove or trim the bushes and cut down any tree branches that are extending to the upper level of your home or roof. This will prevent a burglar to climb up and get easy access to top levels.

Need help during the transition into your new home? Call Racine’s Lock & Key at (262) 509-0366 for professional, reliable locksmith services in your area. How can we help?  We specialize in providing an array of residential locksmith services and security solutions. Our technicians can inspect the condition of your door and locks. We also help you with right recommendations so that you can invest wisely in the right access control and security systems that are within your budget and meet all your requirements to make your home a secure place for your family and valuables.

Our residential locksmith in Racine can replace your existing locks with more effective systems, rekey locks on exterior and garage doors and install digital peephole. If you prefer, we can also upgrade your locking mechanisms by installing high security locks that come with patented keys, which are difficult to duplicate without permission. To get a free estimate or to know more about our locksmith services in Racine, give us a call today.