5 home security tips for the summer

Give your home the best security by being more aware of the increased vulnerabilities that come during the warmer months. We give you some valuable home security tips for the summer to help protect your home and family. Take note!

1. Take care of swelling doors

When summer comes around and high temperatures become the norm, it’s not just us who take the heat, our doors feel it too. And we mean really feel it. Wooden and PVC doors can swell or shrink in hot temperatures, which unfortunately, can leave your home’s security vulnerable. These drastic changes can tamper with the locking system, making you unable to lock or unlock your door. You don’t want to get caught out unexpectedly, or make it easier for an intruder to break into your home. If this happens, you can call a locksmith, if you don’t fancy getting a new door. 

And especially suited for these incidents, a smart home security camera can keep watch for any break-ins or home invasions, pointed either outside or in the hallway. With a smart home security system, you can view the live footage from an integrated app. That means if you’re in the back garden, chilling with some music, catching some rays or having a home BBQ, you can rest assured knowing your phone will alert you of any break-ins. 

2. Don’t forget to lock windows and doors

We know having windows and doors open during these heatwaves can be a godsend, but you must remember to lock them when you’re not in and if you’re out in your perfect summer garden. You don’t need to shut all the windows when you’re in the back garden, but maybe keep the front windows closed whilst you’re out enjoying the sun, especially if you have easy-to-extend windows that could allow someone to climb in. 

Remember to keep those valuables out of sight and well away from windows. Summertime can be a prime season for sneak-in burglaries. Burglars take advantage of people letting their guard down, leaving windows open - next to open laptops, purses, handbags, wallets, and keys. All it takes is one swipe or break-in (one that you won’t hear and off goes your car because you left your keys glinting at the window.

But what can you do? Get into the habit of only leaving doors and windows open that you really need when at home or in the garden, and shut those that you don’t have sight of when out at the back. Thankfully, good old technology is at hand, well we should say new and advanced! Use a motion sensor to detect any human movement in rooms unoccupied with the ‘away’ mode setting, and use a burglar alarm sensor to detect any window or door openings. If the magnet moves more than two inches away from the sensor, it will notify you. 

3. Install a home security system

As you will have noticed throughout, the aid of a smart home security system is one of the best summer home security tips. A fully integrated system is the best protection you can get and you can attach cameras to garages, home fronts and anywhere indoors to trigger a notification if it picks up movement which could be a potential intrusion. Together with smart alarm sensors, you can set ‘home’ and ‘away’ modes to customise your security detections and alerts, and the smart technology will ignore your furry family members. 

4. Check in on your home

When the days get longer, you’ll likely be out of the house for longer too. Late summer evenings can also mean more vacant properties. Couple that with the hot sunny days that bring more people out and you’ve got so many more targets. But no matter where you are, thanks to the trusted smartphone and smart security, you can check in whenever you want to give you more peace of mind. 

Whether you want to see what the dog is up to, check in on the kids or view the driveway, your security cameras and an integrated app can help you do that. 

5. Social media secrecy

Summer is the season of holidays. Whether you’re planning a staycation or jetting abroad, your home will be left vulnerable. As well as having a good security system, you can also set timers for lamps, and even TVs to come on in the evenings. If you have family members or trusted neighbours willing, they can also take care of things and check in.

But, there’s one key thing many don’t think twice about, and that’s the power of social media. As tempting as it may be to do that obligatory airport check-in, that post can give away so much. A caption reading ‘See you in two weeks’, along with a public Instagram profile showing off your new car, state-of-the-art TV or games console and your street or house can be an inviting roadmap for social-media-scouting burglars. 

When this is pointed out, you can see how easy it is for people to get clues and how surprising it is that many of us are oblivious to what we put out on social media. Yet those that have bad intentions will pick up on these clues instantly, and when you have thousands of followers chances are they aren’t all friends. 

If you love to share publicly on Instagram to connect with others, consider setting your profile to private temporarily, but still be cautious of your follower list if it’s a high count with many you don’t know. You may want to post your holiday snaps when you’re back as an alternative that doesn’t advertise an empty home.

Why not bookmark this to read through whenever the warmer seasons come round to remind yourself of these all-important summer home security tips! And contact us today to see how smarter home security can help your home be instantly protected.