How to Lock Out Crime: Home Security – Exterior

This is the second of four blogs about home security and how to secure your home. This information was found on the CMHC webstite (www.cmhc-schl.ca)

If you are like most Canadians, you are concerned about the safety of your home and your community. One particular type of crime that worries Canadians is breaking and entering or burglary. Recent statistics show that burglary accounts for 22 per cent of all property crime.

By knowing the conditions favourable to burglars and taking steps to eliminate those conditions, you can greatly reduce the chances that your home will be burgled. Being proactive and implementing a well-thought-out plan can:

significantly reduce the opportunity for a crime to be committed; and
minimize the consequences — both personal and property damages — if a crime does occur.

Have a look at your house through the eyes of a burglar. Stand at the end of your driveway or laneway. Can you see the front door and windows clearly? Could you tell if someone was trying to break into the house?

Improve Visibility and Maintain Landscaping

Keep the landscape around the house simple and well-trimmed. Prune tree branches to 1m (3 ft.) above ground. Avoid tall plants around doors and windows that might help conceal someone trying to break in. Keep areas around basement windows — a favourite target of burglars — as clear as possible.

Before you begin pulling up plants, however, assess your home’s overall visibility and plan your approach. The spreading juniper near the front door may only require a bit of careful pruning and extra lighting to eliminate the shadows behind it. You may be able to leave the oak tree that overhangs the garage intact; try cutting back a limb or two and installing a better lock on the second-storey window.

Exterior Lighting

Good lighting is one of the cheapest and yet most effective measures you can take to deter break-ins after dark. With the right lighting, anyone lurking nearby or tampering with a door or window will be seen by occupants of the house, an alert neighbour or pedestrian.

Make use of existing street and yard lights in your lighting plan.

Motion-sensor lights will allow people approaching your residence at night to better see their way to your door, and to be seen as they approach. The lights will be appreciated by welcome visitors and help deter would-be burglars.

Incandescent, LED (light-emitting diode) or fluorescent floodlights mounted under the eaves or on a peaked gable are probably a better alternative. Too much light will set your house apart and give the impression that you are trying to protect something worth stealing.

Aim lights downward so as not to create shadows. Prune back trees and shrubbery that block the light. Remember, too, that you want to be able to see into the yard when the light is on, both from inside the house and from the street. Locate the switch near a window, where you can look into the yard as you turn the lights on. Keep lights from shining directly into adjacent homes.

A photoelectric switch wired into the lighting grid will turn lights on at dusk and off again at dawn. You can also have a digital in-wall timer installed to vary the on/off time of your exterior lights throughout the week. This security feature is especially useful for people who are frequently away from their homes and for people on vacation. The routine of the lights going on and off suggests that somebody is home.

Fences

Few fences suitable for residential use will prevent a determined burglar from entering your yard, but a fence can seriously impede efforts to get away with your valuables. Fences are also a psychological deterrent because they make a clear distinction between public and private space. In some cases, a fence is more symbolic than functional — a small corner, picket fence, for instance — but it sends the message that “this is private property.” A well-chosen fence can enhance the appearance of your home, add to your safety and even serve a more practical function, such as preventing a child or pet from wandering off.

Garages

Locks on most garage doors are inadequate and can be easily pried off. Overhead garage doors (that is, those that swing out and up) should be fitted with a sliding bolt lock.

Hinged doors can be secured by a pair of cane bolts at the top and bottom. Horizontal-panelled doors that slide along a track can be fitted with a pin that inserts into a hole drilled in the track to prevent the door from opening even if the lock is broken.

Be especially careful to secure the garage if you can get into the house through the garage. Put a deadbolt lock on the door leading from the garage into the house. Similarly, any door leading into the house from an attached greenhouse, solarium or addition should be treated as an exterior door and provided with a deadbolt lock.

Avoid wooden garage doors with thin, easy-to-break panels. If your garage door is of this type, you might be able to reinforce the panels with wood or metal braces.

Reducing the Risk of Being a Victim

Check the quality of doors and windows, including the frames. If the locks are sturdy and in good repair, security might be improved simply by the installation of auxiliary locks. If they are of poor quality or have deteriorated with age, they might need to be replaced altogether.
If you have recently moved in, look for possible signs of forced entry, such as a new pane of glass set among older ones, scratches around locks or hinges, or chipped wood around windows and latches. These could be indications that the home has a history of burglaries.
Store lawn mowers, barbecues, bicycles and snow blowers out of sight. Lock exterior basement doors and doors to cabanas, garden sheds or enclosed patios or porches. Keep ladders stored out of reach under lock and key.
Avoid leaving your address in your car, particularly if you have an automatic garage door opener. A thief who steals your car will be able to enter your garage as well.
Check that windows and doors are secured before retiring for the night. Pay particular attention to basement windows and sliding patio doors. In hot weather, patio doors are used so often that the last person using them will often leave them unlocked.
Garage door should be closed and locked.
Outside lighting should be adequate.
Maintain normal lighting throughout your house when you’re not at home
Draw all shades at night — all window and screen locks should be adequate.
Trim bushes to prevent concealment.
Secure the basement door with a lock — use a deadbolt or hardened steel hasp and heavy padlock with hardened steel shackle.
Secure all basement windows.
Do not place a spare key under a mat, in a flower pot or above a door.
If you are in the back yard, ensure that the front door is locked and vice versa.
If you have an alarm, use it.