One of the most common perils a Florida homeowner faces is not a hurricane, fire, or flood—it’s burglary. In 2019, a burglary occurred every 28.3 seconds in the U.S, according to the FBI. And while Florida homeowners insurance does commonly cover losses from burglary, no one wants to deal with the emotional trauma of having their home invaded and their belongings stolen.
Most burglaries occur between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., when many homes are empty while you and your family are at school and work. Burglars don’t want to work too hard—they want to get in and out quickly, without being observed. Most are looking for small, expensive items that can be easily sold for cash. You want to make your home less attractive to burglars so they’ll pass you by altogether.
7 Burglary Prevention Tips
Here are seven common-sense precautions you can take to reduce the risk of your home being targeted by a thief or burglars.
- Secure your doors and windows with quality locks—and use them! If you’re replacing locks, choose sturdy ones, and consider upgrading entry doors’ strike plates. Secure sliding glass doors with dowels or other devices to keep them from being forced or lifted out of place. The best locks in the world won’t keep your home safe if you don’t use them. Make sure all doors and windows are locked before going to bed or leaving home.
- Light it up. Make sure your entrances are well-lit, since burglars don’t want to be seen. Lights with motion sensors are a good choice for your home’s exterior. You also want your home to look occupied, even when it isn’t. Automatic timers are inexpensive and easily available. Timers can be used to turn on lights both inside and out to simulate your being at home. You can use these timers all the time, too—and come home to a lighted house on a dark winter night.
- Tidy up your landscaping. Keep shrubs and trees trimmed so there’s no place for burglars to hide. Keep ladders and tools where they can’t be easily found and used to break in. Consider planting thorny bushes beneath windows to make it uncomfortable for burglars to hide or enter.
- Keep valuables out of sight. Thieves want small, easily carried items that can be sold quickly. Try to keep items like laptops, purses, wallets, electronics, and gaming systems out of plain view. Store bicycles inside a garage instead of outside on a porch to reduce the temptation to steal.
- Beef up home security. From full-service home security companies with central monitoring to more do-it-yourself options, home intruder alarms and security cameras can also deter burglars. Make sure you prominently display any stickers or yard signs noting the presence of a security system. This may keep thieves from targeting your home in the first place. (Check with your homeowners insurance company to see if a monitored alarm system will net you a discount on your homeowners insurance.) Use your alarm system all the time so it becomes a part of your routine. It does no good to have a security system if you don’t use it!
- Build good relationships with your neighbors. Get to know your near neighbors and establish good communication and trust. That way you can work together to watch out for suspicious activity.
- Post wisely on social media. Don’t announce your vacation plans, or post vacation pictures while you’re gone. Wait until to you return to share. Burglars can use social media to target homes that are empty.
We hope these tips help reduce your chances of being targeted by a thief. Coming home to a house that has property stolen is heartbreaking. By taking proper precautions, you can decrease the likelihood of being targeted by someone who might want to steal your belongings.
Homeowners insurance for Tampa, Brandon, Valrico, Riverview
The most important way to protect your home from all perils, not just burglary, is homeowners insurance. The Florida homeowners insurance market can be difficult to navigate on your own, so let the agents at L & M Insurance Group help you find a homeowners insurance policy that suits your unique needs. Call us at (813) 672-4100 for a free, no-obligation quote. Click here if you prefer to contact us online.
