How to Keep Your Property’s Outbuilding Secure
When most homeowners think about security, they usually think about their main house and the garden.
However, one area that you must never overlook is your property’s outbuildings, such as sheds, garages and storage units.
Throughout the UK, thieves are targeting sheds and other outbuildings with increasing regularity. Often, this is because they know that sheds and small outbuildings are less secure than most main homes, but that they still contain valuable items, such as tools and bikes.
As such, homeowners need to ensure that they put as much effort into securing their outbuildings as they do their homes.
Keep reading and we’ll share some practical tips to help you to keep your home’s outbuildings safe and secure.
Consider The Location Of Your Outbuildings
The location of your outbuildings could affect the ease with which criminals can access them. If they are far away from your main property and easily accessible from public access points, then they will be easier for thieves to break into. However, a shed or garage that is close to your home and which can only be accessed via your garden might put off a criminal. As such, you should think about the location of your outbuildings when you consider their security.
Some larger outbuildings, such as garages, are tough to relocate, so if they’re not in an optional location you should think about adding extra security devices and keeping fewer valuable items in them. Smaller constructions, such as sheds, are easier to move if you want to make them safer.
Install Secure Locks
A simple step but an essential one is installing secure locks. If your locks are old or flimsy, then you should consider getting new ones. You should also change the locks quickly if you lose the keys to your outbuilding, as the keys could fall into the hands of a thief.
Choose expert locksmiths, such as AA Lock & Key, who offer emergency locksmithing services in case you urgently need your locks changing. The last thing you want to do is leave your outbuilding unsecure overnight, so act fast.
Protect Every Access Point
While a large, secure lock on the front door of your shed or garage is vital, you should not overlook other access points, such as windows and back doors. If your outbuilding has additional entryways, then you must make sure that they are all completely secure.
Alongside deliberate access points, such as doors and windows, check your outbuilding for damage that could allow a thief access, such as missing or broken panels, holes in the exterior walls or an ill-fitted roof. Any of these issues could be used by a criminal to gain access to your outbuilding and take the precious items kept within it.
Cover The Windows Of Your Outbuilding
If your shed or garage has windows, then thieves will be able to see in and notice the valuables that they could steal. Therefore, you should cover the windows in your outbuildings with curtains or blinds, so that criminals cannot see the building’s contents.
Make sure that you use opaque curtains or dark blinds so that no one can peer in and see what you have in the outbuilding. You should also make sure that valuable items, such as bikes and expensive equipment, are kept out of sight when you open the door to the outbuilding so that opportunist thieves who are passing by don’t notice them.
Don’t Advertise Your Possessions
As the proud owner of a specific brand of motorcycle or an expensive piece of equipment, it’s understandable that you might want others to know of your brand loyalty and excellent taste. However, by putting branded stickers and labels on your outbuilding or by parking your expensive vehicle outside your garage regularly before putting it inside, you could actually be putting yourself at risk of losing your precious items.
That’s because thieves know the value of expensive brands and will be enticed by any sign of them. Therefore, you must be careful when you are decorating your outbuilding and when you are putting items outside it. Where possible, keep any branded stickers or signs inside the outbuilding and out of sight of passers-by.
If you have an expensive vehicle, such as a sports car or a large motorcycle, then it might not be easy to hide it, but you should still be wary of showing it off too much. It would be best if you also used visual deterrents around the outbuilding where this valuable vehicle is stored, such as CCTV cameras and large security locks.
Choose An Alarm System
As well as an alarm system for your home, it would help if you also alarmed your sheds and outbuildings. Visible alarm systems can act as a visual deterrent for burglars, as they will be scared away by the prospect of being interpreted in the act of breaking into your outbuilding. Additionally, alarms will help you to notice is someone approaches or tries to enter your shed or garage.
Loud alarms usually scare away intruders, so you might find that they don’t take anything. Some alarms for outbuildings come with cameras installed in them, so you can use the footage to catch the culprits and recover your valuables if they do take anything. Check out the best alarms for outbuildings to find one that will suit your needs and keep your property secure.
Always Be Vigilant
While all of these tips can help you to keep your outbuildings secure, you need to remain constantly vigilant if you want to keep your items safe. As such, you must always check your outbuildings, and if you notice anything suspicious, then you should investigate and contact the police if necessary.
If you’re concerned about the security of your outbuildings, then be proactive and use this list to find ways to improve the safety of your property and belongings. By being vigilant and constantly careful, you can reduce the chances of a potentially devastating break-in to one of your home’s outbuildings and give yourself peace of mind that your items are secure at all times.
