Installing an alarm system is one of the best ways to prevent your home from being burgled, and can bring down the cost of your home insurance to boot. However, effective alarm systems can cost an arm and a leg, so if you cannot afford to install one, you may be pleased to learn that there are a lot of inexpensive ways to upgrade your home security.

Don’t allow burglars any hiding places on your property. Make sure that any hedges, bushes, shrubberies or trees that are near windows and doors are kept trimmed, so that the potential burglar, upon seeing the lack of places to hide, is less likely to choose your property as the scene of their next crime.

You can uprate the security of any door by installing a deadbolt, which makes the door more robust and harder to open without a key. Ideally, breaking into your home should cause as much of a disturbance as possible, so you do not want to give burglars any easy options.

Motion detectors, which turn on your driveway lights whenever anyone goes past your home in the dark, can be a highly effective deterrent to burglars and badly behaved children alike, and hint at the presence of a more expensive alarm system.

A big, scary dog is a highly effective anti burglary measure, but if you cannot be doing with the hassle and expense of dog ownership, then you can at least pretend to own one. Leaving some canine accessories, such as a collar or dog bowl, outside your property could be enough to deter potential burglars, and if you are able to play a CD of dog barking noises on repeat while you are out, so much the better.

Women who live on their own might want to leave some large, dirty work boots and gloves outside the front door to give the impression that they are living with a particularly robust male companion, which could act as a deterrent to potential burglars.

Timer switches can be bought very cheaply, and can really help to create the impression that a property is occupied when it is not. Get a few, and make sure that at least one light on each side of the house is on during the evening. Setting one up to turn on a radio for spells while you are out can also be a highly effective deterrent.

All the cunning ruses in the world may be undone if you fail to lock all the doors and windows every time you leave the house. A lot of burglaries are opportunistic, quick affairs, so even if you are only going out to the shop, make sure that everything is locked before you do so.

With Kwik Fit home insurance , your home and your treasured possessions will be well-protected from the unexpected.

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Installing an alarm system is one of the best ways to prevent your home from being burgled, and can bring down the cost of your home insurance to boot.

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