Did you know that a burglary happens every 40 seconds in the UK? That’s horrific, isn’t it. The thought of someone coming into my home without my permission and helping themselves to my things that I’ve worked hard for is beyond thinking about.

However, there are a few things that you can do to help protect your home and keep your valuables safe.

Top Tips for Keeping Burglars Away

1. Lock Your Doors

A staggering one in five people admit to leaving their front and back doors unlocked whilst they are out. Many insurers won’t pay out if it was found that you were burgled whilst your house was left unsecured.

2. Install Deterrents

Decent locks and bolts, alarms and lighting can all put would-be burglars off. If you have sliding doors, pop a piece of dowel in the grooves to stop it being opened.

3. Make your home look lived in

Use automatic timers so lights go on in the evening, ask someone you trust to remove your post, cancel milk and newspaper deliveries, and even ask a neighbour to park their car on your driveway once in a while

4. Don’t ‘check in’ on Facebook

You want to show off that you are on holiday, but it’s a super quick way let the world know that your house is empty for two weeks. You might trust your friends, but sometimes information can get into the wrong hands.

5. Clear valuables away

Don’t leave laptops, smartphones, jewellery, and tablets in clear view. Have somewhere safe to put them when they are not in use. Take a walk past your window – can you see anything valuable? If you can, move it!

6. Put up a ‘beware of the dog’ sign

Even if you don’t have one – they won’t know that you don’t have a great big, snarling noisy guard dog!

Rattan Direct have also created a really handy guide to keeping your home and garden safe. Click here to head over and have a look!

What are your top tips for keeping your home safe from intruders?

*Collaborative post