Improve Your Property’s Security: 5 Essential Spring Tips
With the spring season approaching, it’s the perfect time to refresh not just our homes but our property’s security. As we move into warmer months, there’s generally an increase in travel and outdoor activity, bringing new security challenges. In this blog post, we will cover the 5 most essential strategies to protect your property, family, and valuables this spring:
Check the Detectors
Inspecting the smoke detectors is an easy first step in assessing your home security. Change the batteries, keep them dust-free to avoid false alarms, and ensure your fire extinguisher is charged. All safety devices, including smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, whether monitored or not, are only effective for ten years, so it’s crucial to check their expiration dates.
Quick Tip: Have you ever thought about using environmental sensors?
They help to identify the first signs of water in your house commonly found by sinks, basements, washing machines, etc.
Did You Know: If your property has a robbery and you don’t have cameras or they are not updated, there is very little the police can do without video evidence.
Check and Update Your Security Camera System
Ensure cameras are unobstructed, add extra ones for blind spots, and clean lenses with a microfiber cloth to remove dirt. (Examples of new obstructions can include tree branches, bushes, etc.) We use ADC CCTV cameras with rules to ignore false alarms and focus on true security issues, unlike regular retail cameras. (Examples of triggers for false alarms are raccoons, deer, weather, etc.)
Replace Exterior Lights and Bulbs
Exterior lights improve visibility and can prevent break-ins. Look around your property for any broken bulbs, switch to energy-saving LED bulbs, and consider changing the bulb colors to enhance your home’s appearance.
Elevate Your Home with an Automated Security System
As longer days approach, now is the ideal time to set timers for lights and electronics to prepare for the upcoming time change. With your smartphone, control lighting remotely to schedule turning lights on/off conveniently when away from the property. Use smart locks, which can provide keyless entry in the event you forget your keys and also send immediate alerts if someone attempts to tamper with them. You can additionally use automation deadbolts that enable you to arm/disarm your home by entering your code in the keypad!
| Did you know: Many insurance companies require someone to monitor your vacant home for insurance claims. To help with this, our security system includes a monitored insurance certificate to make your security needs simpler. For instance, depending on what you have monitored in your home (e.g. intrusion alone or also life, fire, CO, flood, and low temperature), most insurers will provide a 5–15% discount on your annual premium. |
Create a Family Checklist
Regularly update access codes to safeguard property and use unique individual codes for family members. Store an updated list of emergency contacts in an easily accessible place in your home.
| Did you know: Did you know the Government of Canada website offers a free 20-min personalized emergency plan template? It is suggested to review and update at least once per year. |
Lastly, by routinely checking our property’s security we can prevent burglaries and keep our families/property safe. At Wilsons we help to protect what matters most. For more information regarding your home security please get in touch with one of our professionals today!
