The Forced Outdoors – 5 Tips For Avoiding Being Locked Outside Your House

Guest post by Hubert Dwight

There is nothing quite on the level of being locked out of your home.

Depending if you live alone or not, this could mean waiting outside your house for hours on end, waiting for another housemate or family member to come home, or worst of all – calling an expensive locksmith to come and remedy the problem.

So you’re not left out in the cold, we’ve put together 5 tips that you can adhere to to avoid being locked out of your house ever again.

Get a spare key cut

This may seem obvious to most, but the more surefire way to making sure that you don’t get locked out of your house is to get a spare key cut.

Some people keep this key in a pot plant outside your house or under the welcome mat home, but perhaps this might not be good idea as this could be the first place someone would look.

Brian much prefers to use a combination key safe, and keeps the combination in his phone so he doesn’t forget it

However, if you do get locked out of your house and you need to call some locksmiths in Melbourne, having had a spare key already cut will limit the amount of effort and stress you will have to endure after the event.

Keep a key at a trusted person’s house

Once you have got a spare key cut, if you don’t want to keep this key on the premises of your home, a good idea is to keep it at a trusted family or friend’s house.

That way, if you do get locked out of your house for any reason, you can promptly call up this trusted person and get them to deliver the key or you can go and get it from them.

This is a safer option than having a spare key on the grounds of your home.

Have a designated ‘key spot’

One of the best ways to not get locked out of your house is to employ some effective prevention methods!

Make sure you have a designated ‘key spot’, for example on a hook right by the door, or in a dish that is on your bedside table.

Each and every time you come home, be sure to place your house key in this spot, and this will dramatically decrease your chance of losing the key or leaving home without it.

Become an organised person

Becoming an organised person is another great preventative measure that you can engage in to mitigate the chance of you becoming locked outside your house.

Each time, before you leave the house, do a mental check: keys, wallet, phone, diary, and any other belongings you may need to have on you that day.

Once you start these sorts of organised behaviours, it will only seem natural to continue them.

Don’t let one of the most annoying afflictions ever affect you again!

Make sure that each time you leave the house you do a mental check of everything you need for the day ahead.

What’s more, ensure you get a spare key cut, and leave it in a smart and safe place – whether this be on the premises of our home or at trusted family or friend’s residence.

Lastly, it’s always a great idea to have a designated ‘key spot’, as this will mean your key has a home, mitigating the chance of ever losing it.

The Priceless Benefits of Investing in a Home Security System

Guest post by Hubert Dwight

Sourse: Shutterstock

With the installation, the bills and the upkeep, it can be easy to fall into thinking that a home security system is too much hassle.

However, that’s simply not the case.

The peace of mind as well as the safety that comes along with a security system is unparalleled.

Furthermore, in the case of a burglary or an attack, having a security system in place will vastly help police after the event.

The benefits of a home security system can outweigh the costs, and we’ve outlined why below.

Protect what matters most

Naturally, your home is where you store your most valuable things.

Where you house sentiments, memories, heirlooms and the like.

It would be absolutely counterproductive not to protect your most precious items.

You’ve worked hard to get where you are and to purchase what you own, so do yourself the favour of protecting these items.

Remember that not everything that is stolen is replaceable.

There is a wide range of home security systems on the market these days that are able to be customised to suit your every protective need.

Deter criminals

A home security system also doesn’t just have to act as a reactive measure, either.

An alarm, for instance, will deter a potential burglar from entering your home in the first place.

These measures, such as motion sensor lights, a dog barking and a security alarm, will save you a huge amount of time, stress and money down the track if it deters a criminal before they attack.

The more home security systems that exist in your neighborhood, the more likely it is for crime to drop overall.

Help your neighbors; help yourself.

Lower homeowner’s insurance

As well as the physical safety that you and your belongings will now experience, you may actually save some money even if a burglary doesn’t occur.

Yes, you are paying out-of-pocket to increase your home security.

However, depending on your homeowner’s agreement, having a home security system may lower your homeowner’s insurance by up to 20 percent.

Increase peace of mind

There is most definitely no price that can be put on peace of mind.

When you install a home security system, you will sleep easier at night knowing that you, your family and your valuables are safe in your sanctuary.

This extra layer of defense is perhaps the greatest benefit of all.

Improves electricity management

Many security systems offer energy efficient thermostats and outlets.

That means, if you’ve forgotten to change your thermostat before leaving for a holiday, these systems will allow you to control the thermostat on any device with internet.

Moreover, this works as a great tool to turn lights on and off while you’re on vacation to help give the home the appearance that someone is there.

There are many things to think about when it comes to home security systems – it can seem overwhelming.

However, there is no doubt about it: a well-installed security system has so many benefits for you and your household.

Of course, each and every security system will be different, and it’s up to you to decide just what processes you need in place to protect your valuables and your loved ones.

Emergency Planning – Scenarios

I heard on today’s news that there have been bush fires in NSW, in the first week of November!. . . . so I thought it was worthwhile reminding people about making an Emergency Plan.

If you have  just moved into your new house make sure you spend time thinking about what you would do in an emergency.

Even if you house is still being being built its not too soon to start thinking about emergency planning.

Don’t think this doesn’t apply to Houses on new urban estates. Your house can still be affected by things like grass fires and flooding.

I and many others have said “If you don’t plan, you are planning to fail!” . . . and the consequences of failing can be fatal.

Emergency Planning Guides

If you look on the websites for your States Emergency Services or Fire Brigade you should find sample plans.

The Australian Red Cross also have a great downloadable planning guide at this link  Red Cross Emergency Planning.

Emergency Planning Guides

If you look on the websites for your states Emergency Services or Fire Brigade you should find sample plans.

The Australian Red Cross also have a great downloadable planning guide at this link  Red Cross Emergency Planning

Potential Emergency Scenarios

Having seen a lot of emergency plans one thing that they often miss is planning for different scenarios.

Remember emergencies can happen without warning. . . . so check you have a plan for

  • Everyone at home with vehicle/s and time to leave safely.
  • Everyone at home with vehicles BUT no time to leave.
  • One parent away from home with vehicle.
  • Both parents away from home, but children home.
  • Adult/s home but children away from home.

If you don’t have a plan for any of these scenarios . . . . then don’t let that scenario happen.

 

Monitored Burglar Alarms

I won’t be bothering with a monitored alarm again!

I had one at my previous home. . . . ‘Free Install’ with 3 Year Monitoring Contract. . . . Waste of money in my opinion!

Monitoring

From all accounts most thieves are mainly after a few valuables that can be moved quickly.

By the time the security service have:

  • Phoned you to check that it wasn’t a false alarm, say 3-4 minutes;
  • Contacted a mobile guy say, 2-3 minutes;
  • The mobile guy has driven to your place , say 10-15 mins;

Between 15 -30 minutes will have passed and most thieves will be long gone.

If they are still there whats the monitoring guy going to do? . . . . call the police that’s another 10 minutes.

Burglaries While You Are At Home

The latest scare tactic by security companies is to say “26% of burglaries are while you someone is in the home!”

Well all I have to say to that is:

  • Who has their alarm on when they are at home?
  • If you suspected a burglar was in the house would you think about getting to an alarm panel so the security company could ring you back? . . . and then wait for the mobile security guy? . .  I’d be ringing 000 on my mobile so the police would be arriving!
  • Rather than have a monitored alarm make sure that you lock all the doors, including the garage, when you are in the house; especially at night.

Alarms In General

Alarms do have their uses:

  • The sight of an alarm may deter some burglars.
  • The sound of an alarm will most likely cause the burglar to rush, so your losses, are more likely to be limited.
  • If you return to your house with the alarm going off you know there could be a problem, rather than walking into the middle of a burglary.

I’m not saving I wouldn’t get an alarm again,  but I would probably go for one with CCTV cameras that send a photo to your smart phone.

At least you would get a picture of the burglar, and you could phone the police straight away with the knowledge you had seen someone in your house.

 

 

 

Post Boxes & Security

Do you think the people at this house are away?

Is this overflowing post box telling a thief that they are unlikely to be disturbed?

It used to be easier when I was young as we knew our neighbours and we could ask someone to check the mailbox.

Otherwise we could get a family member to call round every 2-3 days.

These day people seem more mobile and may not live in the same state, or in my case, the same country as relatives.

Working long hours and driving everywhere many people don’t really know their next door neighbour!

Rather than get the cheapest and smallest post box when you move in perhaps you should think about a box Big Enough for several days post (and Junk Mail)

 

See Letter Boxes and Numbers for more posts

 

Do You Want A Safe?

Most home burglaries are carried out by opportunistic thieves.

They want to be in and out as fast as possible.

A safe that takes that takes time and effort is going to deter them, and help keep you valuables safe.

Yes you can always keep things in a bank deposit box, but it may not be very convenient.

What Sort of Safe?

Well you can get a basic small home safe for less than $80, or pay well over $1,000, so here are some thoughts on choice:

What do You Want to Keep Secure?

In my case it’s passports, wills, portable hard drives, and small amounts of foreign currency, so a small safe would be fine for me.

If you have got lots of expensive jewelry, want to secure your lap top, or other large items you will need something bigger.

It’s probably best to get all your valuables together before you make a decision on size.

Combination or Key?

I would agree with a recent survey I saw that came out with the result that twice as many people prefer keys. We all have too many PIN numbers to remember.

If you do go for a combination lock make sure you change it from the manufacturers standard settings. . . I have heard locksmiths say that their standard opening technique for a combination safe is to enter the standard setting which works for well over half the safes.

Fire Protection

A basic safe is just a heavy steel box with a steel door and doesn’t offer any protection against fire or even smoke damage.

I would recommend that you you look for something with insulation that offers at least one hours fire protection

Location?

A common site is in the WIR of the master bedroom which in convenient . . . but obvious for a burglar.  A better site might be the larder/pantry or in the wardrobe of a second bedroom.

For a typical Australian house a safe bolted down to the floor is the best option rather than a wall safe. It should be bolted into a concrete slab, or a floor joist. (You don’t want to make it too easy for thieves to break it out and take it with them)

For more posts see Security

The Risk Of Too Much Security

As I visit lots of houses I often wonder if some houses have too much security.

I see lots of houses with roller shutters or even steel gratings over the windows like these.

Quite often when I ring the bell the owner seems to spend ages unlocking the various locks and bolt on the front door.

Yes they are keeping people out . . . . . but what happens if there is a fire in the house?

In a typical year around 70 People die in Home fires in Australia.

So before you put more security in your house . . . .Think about how you would get out in a fire!

Here are some thoughts about making sure you keep safe:

  • Although I typically have two locks on my doors I only lock the deadbolt when I am going out.
  • If you do want to lock the deadbolt while you are inside always leave a set of keys where it is easily accessible in an emergency.
  • Think about how you would escape through the window if you couldn’t get to the door. I would be able to smash a window and get out . . . But would shutters or bars lock you in, with the flames!

 

See : Doors and Glazing for more posts

 

 

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