In this article, we look at ways to improve home security for your home or property.
The following 75 ways to improve home security are split up into different sections (mainly internal security and external security).
Some of these security measures are free and easy to do, whilst others may cost money for the security products themselves as well as costing additional money for a tradesperson to come and help you implement them depending on your level of skill.
All our product links go to our partner Amazon, because they are trusted, well known and have an excellent returns policy.
There’s also a handy table of contents below, so you can skip to what you want to read quickly and easily.
Table of Contents
External Property
How your house or property is seen from the road can be a huge determining factor for would be burglars, criminals and opportunist thieves on whether they are going to attempt anything criminal or not.
So here are the first few ways to improve home security arrangements and target harden your home.
TIPS: Access and Gates
How do you access your house? Do you have a driveway, a path that leads to your front door, do you have gates? How would a criminal initially set foot onto the boundary of your property? Remember, the easier it is to access your property, the more likely it is that someone will try. Don’t make it easy for them.
Steps To Take
- 1. Ensure you shut any gates that lead into the pathway or driveway, whether you are in or out. If you have a particularly expensive vehicle or motorhome, consider the use of steering locks and home security bollards.
- 2. Maintain all gates that you have in your property.
- 3. Have a side path or driveway that leads to the back of your property? Ensure it is closed off or is gated so nobody can simply access the rear of your property by waking down the side of your house.
- 4. Don’t fix noisy gates. If your gate makes a noise when opened or closed, by all means maintain it, but try and leave it noisy.
- 5. Consider using security signage like CCTV operates here, or guard dogs are present here, on gates and access routes, whether the sign is truthful or not.
- 6. Consider using gravel or stone chippings on paths around your property. These make a crunching sound when walked on.
Remember, these are all small, simple ways to improve home security, but they are not fail safe by any means. But using even some of these tips will target harden your home, and anyone seeing any of these security measures implemented will believe that security is taken seriously at this property.
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TIPS: Fencing and Perimeter
What state are your perimiter fences or walls in? Could someone potentially gain access to an adjoining garden and then hop over a fence into your garden? Is there a wall or fence that leads directly from a public area (like a park for instance)? Think like a criminal. If you didn’t want to enter the grounds of your property through the front gate or driveway, how else could they get onto your land?
Steps To Take
- 7. Fix and replace any fence panels/fencing/walls that are down or broken.
- 8. Use anti climb paint on any fencing or walls that are particularly vulnerable to people climbing over from an external location, or…
- 9. Use wall spikes for even more protection in vulnerable areas.
- 10. Consider using signage like CCTV operates here, or guard dogsare present here, on gates and access routes, whether the sign is truthful or not.
- 11. Improve Lighting (see Tip 4).
Making it as hard as possible to enter the land your property sits on is one of the most important aspects of home security.
Don’t give them easy access.
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TIPS: Shrubbery, Trees and Foliage
When looking from the road, can you see your front door and windows, and are they free from obstruction? A criminal would just love huge, overgrown foliage to cover their antics whilst trying to force a window or a door.
Steps To Take
- 12. Cut back any overgrown foliage or shrubbery that conceals things like doors and windows from a vantage point of a road outside your property.
- 13. Trim trees or anything else that overhangs or obstructs your property.
Trees, shrubbery and foliage make your house look nice and appealing. Too much of it though, and it also makes your house appealing to criminals who can use it as a cover to spend as long as they want jemmying a window or door, out of the view of any person or car that may be passing by. Ensure at a minimum, that all these things are well maintained and are not overgrown.
TIPS: External Lighting
What does your house look like from the road? Is it lit up well including any side alleys or side driveways tht lead to the back of your property? Or is it in complete darkness once the sun goes down? Criminals love darkness to cover their tracks.
Steps To Take
- 14. Install lighting outside your house, front, back and side. It will improve the appearance of your property and it will put off criminals. (Use a combination of always-on lights and motion detection lights).
- 15. Install motion detection lights down paths, side paths or driveways – criminals will hate being lit up light after light whilst they approach a property.
- 16. Install lighting around garages or sheds or outbuildings.
- 17. Install lighting in your rear garden, especially near to doors, patio doors and windows.
Suggested minimums here are to light up the outline of your property, so that in hours of darkness front/side/rear door areas and window areas can be clearly seen. Criminals do not like working in bright conditions. As an extra home security measure, make sure pathways are lit up either all the time or with the use of motion detector lights that detect movement.
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TIPS: Are You Helping Them?
Is there anything lying around your garden that could potentially help a criminal to break into your property? Are there unsecured ladders in the garden? Do you have wheelie bins parked up near to a single storey flat roof extension that would give them an easy way to climb up and enter through a first floor window?
Steps To Take
- 18. Secure things like ladders with a simple ladder lock.
- 19. Remove things like wheelie bins from near windows or flat roofs that give access to another level.
- 20. Don’t leave spare keys under plant pots beside your door. Please don’t do it at all, but if you really have to, you can use one of these clever devices, and place it away from the door.
- 21. Better still, invest in a proper key safe.
Again, this is simply removing everyday items from being used to break into your home. Don’t make it easy for them. Simply moving garden furniture or accessories can help improve your home security and make it harder for them.
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TIPS: Window Security
There are many ways to improve home security in general, but windows are up there as the most vulnerable acess points into your property, so it’s important to maintain them, look after them, and bolster the security of them if required.
It’s time to audit your windows. 29% of break ins use this method of entry. Shockingly, 33% of that is through windows that are not closed or locked.
Steps To Take
- 22. Ensure all windows are in good working order, including the locks and mechanisms. Ground floor windows are particularly important. Broken lock or latch – get a professional in to replace the locking mechanism ASAP.
- 23. Remove anything outside of the window that may assist in gaining access to the window opening, like wheelie bins for example.
- 24. Consider using single alarm sets on any windows you deem to be particularly vulnerable, these are inexpensive and easy to install yourself.
- 25. Got older, sash windows? Use a window sash jammer.
- 26. In summer months, close ALL windows when you go out, and don’t leave open windows unattended.
When summer comes, we all get into the spirit of the warm weather and relax – unfortunately for a lot of us, that also means letting our guards down and giving criminals opportunities that they may otherwise find hard to come by in the colder months.
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TIPS: Door Security
71% of all intruders gain access to a property through a door, whther that be a front door, patio door, back door, side door or even a garage door that can then lead into the main property. Not all of these are forced entries though, a good proportion of these are when the homeowner willingly opens the door to a caller, and then the caller forces their way in.
Let’s now have a look at some actions you can take to improve the security of your doors in and around your home.
Steps To Take
- 27. Ensure all external doors are in good working order, including the locks and mechanisms. Broken lock or latch? Get a professional in to replace the lock or locking mechanism ASAP.
- 28. Consider upgrading your front door if your door is particularly old.
- 29. If upgrading your doors is not an option, consider bolstering them. For your front door, install a door chain which allows the homeowner to open the door slightly without giving full access (especially important for the elderly).
- 30. If you have a pane of glass in your door that gives a view inside your property, consider using some clever one way mirrored film cover that can be stuck on your glass, allowing you to see out, but not allowing people to see in.
- 31. If you have sliding patio doors, consider using a brace or jammer – which basically prevents the sliding part of the door from opening.
- 32. For extra security, consider using a CCTV system around your door areas. This can be a smaller home DIY Security system that you can install yourself without wires…
- 33. Or it can be a more robust, professional system that will need to be installed by professionals.
- 34. Alternatively, if you want to be more discreet, a smart doorbell will also do the trick and will allow you to see who is at your door whether you are in or not (through a phone app) and even lets you talk to your visitor through a link between your phone and doorbell.
- 35. Internal doors? Consider adding a lock to internal doors, which can help segregate your home into sections. For instance, if someone gained access through your kitchen, an internal door with a lock could help stop anyone accessing the rest of the house and segregate them to one part of the property. Adding a mortice lock would take a bit of work, or you could buy a door with one already installed. Alternatively, and an easier and cheaper option, add sliding bolts onto existing doors.
There’s a lot of tips there to improve the overall security of your doors in your home. Again, not all will be suitable for your home, and some may even be overkill (some may say overt CCTV cheapens an area and makes a neighbourhood look crime ridden).
But implement just a few of them, and you are helping to bolster the security of your home and make it just that little bit harder for a criminal to get what they want.
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TIPS: Integrated Garage Security
The security of your garage takes on extra importance if your garage is attached to your property and then gives direct access into the main part of your home.
Steps To Take
- 36. If you have a single side door that gives access to your integrated garage, add additional slide bolts on the inside of the door if you don’t use it to access the garage from outside. Add one to the top of the door, one to the bottom. It’s quick and easy to do and has a huge security benefit.
- 37. If your main garage door is an up and over, consider adding a garage door defender to prevent unauthorised access.
- 38. Use either permanent lighting, or solar motion detection lights above garage doors.
- 39. Consider using contact alarms – they will alarm when the contact is broken (when the door is opened) to give you an audible alert and also to startle any intruders.
Don’t neglect the security of your integrated garage, especially if it gives direct access into your home. Don’t make it easy for them.
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TIPS: Garage, Shed, Summer House and Outbuilding Security
If you have any one of these, and keep anything valuable in them, then naturally you will want some easy ways to improve the security of them.
Often, these sheds and outbuilding are built away from the house and are rich pickings for a criminal that can stay far away from a main dwelling, and out of sight.
Follow these quick tips, and improve the security of these buildings.
Steps To Take
- 40. Again, lighting. Use either permanent lighting that is always on, or motion detection lighting that is solar powered to increase the visibility of these building in hours of darkness.
- 41. What’s on display? If you can see into your outbuilding, what have you got on display? Don’t whet their appetite, cover all windows with one way mirrored glass film so you can see out, but they can’t see in.
- 42. Add additional hasps and padlocks. Ideally one near the top and one near the bottom of the shed, garage or summerhouse door.
- 43. Got expensive equipment in your garage like drills etc? Consider investing in a tool safe that can be bolted to a floor or wall.
- 44. Expensive bikes in your garage or shed? Add an extra layer of security by using a lock and an anchor.
Adding these small but effective security measures could mean the difference between finding your shed, summerhouse, garage or outbuilding safe and sound when you wake up one morning, or finding the door ajar and items stolen.
All of these measures are cheap and easy to do yourself – don’t make it easy for them.
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TIPS: Reducing Risk Of Theft From Gardens
Garden furniture is an easy target for opportunist thieves, espeially considering how upmarket garden furniture is getting. A good rattan seating arrangement can often cost as much as a good sofa or armchair for inside your house, so it’s no wonder thieves are increasingly targetting this sort of thing.
Let’s look at some ways to improve home security and improve the security of your garden fixtures and fittings.
Steps To Take
- 45. Garden furniture is heavy and bulky by nature, so the biggest security improvement you can make is to go back to Tip 1 and make sure any access to your garden is as good as it can be – gates, fencing, lighting all play their part, and the idea is to stop them gaining access in the first place.
- 46. Lighting. Improve the lighting in your garden so thieves can’t operate under the cover of darkness.
- 47. If you feel that there is a real risk of your garden furnoture being stolen, if you can store them in garages or sheds overnight or when you are away for a period of time, this will add a natural level of security and protection.
- 48. If you really want to go a step further, see if a steel cable and padlock would be suitable for your particular garden furniture.
This is a really hard area to secure. Naturally, you’ll want your garden furniture to be free from locks and padlocks, because let’s face it, it’s just not a good look. But the security of your garden furniture is improved exponentially if you just follow tip 1 and secure all side/rear access to your garden where someone can get in and then remove furniture.
Again, the path of resistance. Make that resistance as storng as possible and they will be stopped at source.
Time For A Breather?
I hope you found the first 10 ways to improve home security useful.
Remember, a criminal will always try and find the path of least resistance.
Implement as many of these tips and ideas as you can, and you can be sure that at the very least, you are adding resistance to that path and bolstering your security arrangements in a positive way.
And don’t forget, bookmark this page for future reference!
Internal Property
We’ve looked at target hardening and improving your home security from the outside, now what about the inside?
TIPS: Create A Smart Home
The term smart home is a collective term used to describe things that once had to be manually done – like switching on a light, for instance.
Nowadays, there are all types of clever products that are termed under the name ‘Smart’ that can automate and schedule tasks and processes right from your mobile phone or computer – without you even being present at home.
Let’s see in which ways can these products help improve home security, from the inside out.
Steps To Take
- 49. The easiest way to start is by installing some smart plugs and plugging in any lamps that you have around your house. You can then run a schedule for times for them to turn on and off right from your smart phone – especially useful if you are away for a weekend and don’t want your house to stand out in complete darkness. Nothing says ‘come and break in’ more than a house that stands in darkness for a number of nights with no sign of life.
- 50. Invest in a Smart Doorbell. This doubles up as a security feature, because you know exactly who is at your door without having to open the door. You don’t even have to be at home – if you have your mobile, you can use your mobile to see, hear and speak to any visitors – no matter where you are in the world. Think of it like a better version of an intercom system.
- 51. Invest in smart CCTV cameras that are discreet but give a huge security presence. Or a home DIY security system.
- 52. Smart blinds. Yes, smart blinds can be programmed to open and close on a schedule – great if you are away, and great combined with a lighting schedule.
Smart homes are the future.
As a minimum, buy some smart plugs that will allow you to schedule times when your lamps will turn on and off when you are not there. It really does make a huge difference – the majority of break ins or thefts from a property occur when a property is empty.
Plus, it’s nice to come back to a well lit house after a day at work.
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TIPS: Protect Against Identity Fraud
Identity fraud is on the rise all over the world, but with a very simple and common sense approach, you can greatly reduce your risk to identity fraud by implementing some of the follwing tips.
Steps To Take
- 53. Invest in a small, portable shredder, and shred all bills and paperwork. This will hide your personal details and information that identity fraudsters could gather in an attempt to commit identity theft.
- 54. Never put paperwork straight in the bin without at least tearing it up nto small pieces.
- 55. Invest in a confidentiality stamper. Smaller and quicker than a shreeder, this is an excellent little invention
Don’t become a victim to identity theft. Not only will it cause you immediate financial hardship, but it can often take a long period of time for it to be put right. A lot of people who are victims to this crime also end up having further problems down the line, mainly through future credit rating problems.
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TIPS: Buy A Safe
Safes are not just for the rich and famous. Safes are now extremely affordable and accessible, and are a very shrewd investment to keep valuables and important documents in. Home safes are small, inexpensive and easy to install yourself.
Steps To Take
- 56. Audit your valuables – would you benefit from the extra security that a safe provides?
- 57. Invest in a safe from a well known brand, like this one here from Yale.
Having a safe in your home, any safe, is better than having no safe at all. Don’t make it easy for them.
TIPS: Protecting Car Keys
Car theft from home driveways is up again according to 2019 data. Thieves only need a very simple device to do a signal relay and trick your car into thinking the key is present. And if you have a sports, performance or sought after car, they’ll even break in to get the keys.
Steps To Take
- 58. Don’t leave car keys in a place where they can be hooked through from a letterbox.
- 59. If you have a keyless entry vehicle, consider using a shielded box to store your keys in (or check here: 3 of the best car key signal blocking boxes UK). You could also use a steering wheel lock to make any would be car thieves think twice before attempting it.
- 60. Keep your car keys in a place that is out of reach of being ‘hooked’, but keep them in a place that is obvious to reduce the risk of a break in happening and a thief coming into your bedroom at night demanding the keys.
- 61. If you keep your car on a drive with gates, close the gates and lock them if practicable.
- 62. Got a motorhome on the drive? They’re expensive aren’t they? Add extra security like wheel locks, steering wheel locks or even driveway security posts.
If you have expensive or powerful vehicles on your driveway, it’s an unfortunate fact that you have more chance of being targetted than if you had a 10 year Toyota sat there.
But there’s a fine line between protecting your car, and protecting you and your family because you simply don’t want a car thief to wake you up in the middle of the night trying to obtain your car keys.
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TIPS: Intelligence Gathering
A burglary or theft of items from in or around a property can sometimes be attributed to intelligence gathered from various places.
For instance, telling people down your local about your new £4k watch, showing off expensive purchases on Facebook or even just valuable items on show that an opportunist can see as they are passing by your property, like a garage door left open whilst you are working, showing off expensive drills and other DIY equipment.
Steps To Take
- 63. Loose lips sink ships. No need to tell the world about your stamp collection that’s valued at £30k. Or telling Facebook you are off to the Maldives for two weeks.
- 64. Keep valuables out of sight of opportunists.
- 65. Keep valuables in a safe (see also: Benefits of buying a safe). (See also: Best Home Safe UK)
This is a tough one, but using some common sense here will reduce the risk of an opportunist seeing an expensive item on show in and around your property and then coming back later in an attempt to steal it.
TIPS: Join Neighbourhood Watch
Has your local area got a neighbourhood watch group? Maybe a group on Whatsapp or Facebook? Who are your local neighbourhood policing team? Staying up to date with local crime trends can put you at an advantage giving you time to act accordingly.
Steps To Take
- 66. Join your local neighbourhood watch group, and advertise that you are in this group by placing a small sticker on your front door or window.
- 67. Join local Facebook groups that share information about crime in your area.
- 68. Seek out your local policing team, and follow them on social media to keep up with the latest crime trends in your area.
Having the latest information and knowing what to look out for in your area puts you on the front foot when it comes to protecting you and your home from crime.
TIPS: Smart Inking
Whilst this tip isn’t about crime prevention, it can help reunite property or items that do get stolen and then subsequently recovered.
Steps To Take
- 69. Consider investing in a UV pen that you can use to mark your most valuable property.
Again, this is all about making things as hard as possible for a criminal, and in the event of property recovered after a crime has been committed, your valuables can be easily identified.
TIPS: Password Protection
The most common things that are stolen during break ins, sneak ins and thefts, are mobile phones, laptops, and tablet computers.
If your laptop was stolen from your house, would the thief be able to simply open the laptop and get into all your files and folders?
Steps To Take
- 70. For computers, laptops and tablets, consider adding password protection/fingerprint on startup (so a criminal can’t get access past the welcome screen).
- 71. Hide away laptops and tablets and don’t leave them lying about and easy to swipe.
It’s been said many times in this article already – but don’t make it easy for them.
TIPS: Review Your Insurance
It takes 5 minutes to review your home and contents insurance. Most of us are creatures of habit and just let insurance premiums renew, but this is both costly and foolish.
Often, better deals are to be had when you shop around. And it’s likely your circumstances have changed as well.
Steps To Take
- 72. Take a look at your insurance policy. Does it provide adequate cover for your home and your valuables?
- 73. If you have valuables that you want specifically covered, you’ll need to tell your insurance company.
- 74. Take picture any valuables, as well as any serial numbers or note down distinct features, so if you do have a claim it will be covered quickly.
The main thing here is to make sure you have contents insurance in the first place, and make sure the cover provided meets your needs.
TIP 75: Don’t Sit Back And Do Nothing
Your biggest security threat is actually YOU.
Unfortunately, a large percentage of people that read through this whole page will be reading it in response to a security event they have recently experienced at their property, and are here looking for ways to improve home security and target harden their property.
If that is you, then I’m truly sorry, and I hope some of the tips above help you improve the security of your home – and give you peace of mind moving forwards.
If it’s not you, and you are here being proactive instead of reactive, then please, please, implement some of these tips today. Don’t come back to this page in 6 months time, wishing you’d fixed that broken latch on your window, or wishing you’d put an extra lock on your garage door.
Act now. Act today.
Just implementing some of these measures could potentially deter a criminal from either breaking into your home or attempting to steal one of your possessions.
Your Home Isn’t Bricks & Mortar?
So you are a van lifer or live full time in your van?
No problem, read this: Van Life Security
Or maybe you live on a canal/narrow boat? We’ve got you covered here: Canal boat Security Tips.
Or maybe you want to keep your tent safe while camping? Read this.
Don’t Have Nightmares
The chances of you getting burgled are quite low compared to 20 or 30 years ago.
Crime has moved on a lot in that time, and whilst your home security strategy should be robust, it’s even more important now than ever to protect against things like identity theft, people stealing your car via relay theft, or skimming your RFID bank cards.
But implement some of these tips and ways to improve home security, and you’ll add extra layers of protection and security to the extent that a criminal will choose another house that offers a path of lesser resistance.
It’s also far easier to target harden your home yourself these day, with modern technology being used more and more and giving us more choice and scope in how we prevent and deter criminal acts from taking place in and around our property.
But, as Crimewatch famously used to end on, don’t have nightmares, do sleep well.
Going One Step Further
High-profile or high net worth individuals and their families are always advised to seek out specialist security consultants to help keep them and their families safe and secure.
Trusted security consultants, like FCL, who are one of the best security companies in London can provide additional security measures that go one step further than the advice on this page, and it’s always worth contacting them to see what services they can provide for you and your family.
Questions? Comments?
We would love to hear your opinions on the tips and suggestions shared here, so please leave a comment below.
Maybe you have your own tips or advice you would like to share – again, please leave a comment below and share it with us.
Stay Safe. Stay Secure.
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Incredible resource.
Would like to work further with you, please check your email.
Thanks.
Emailed, thanks.
Thorough article, almost too much to digest, but I have managed to install additional lighting down the side of my drive and around my patio area, which was previously in darkness.
The ones recommendd on your article are actually surprisingly good. Many thanks and three cheers to you.
There’s a lot in there, granted! Glad to hear you’ve improved your home security with some lighting.
Very informative, and given me some ideas. All the best, David.
Thank you.
Hello Richard.
My name is Tracey, and I work for a local council in the the South East.
Could we possibly have 10 minutes of your time regarding the use of this article in one of our publications? My email is on the form, if you could get backto me that would be great.
This is top notch content. Some very clever ideas. Ive printed the article out and will pin it up at my work.
Thank you so much Sharon.
Lots and lots of great ideas here. I’ve got a shortlist of 3 to get on with that looks like will cost me under 30 quid in total, thank you Richard, very informative indeed.
You are most welcome Geoff, I’m happy the article has helped give you some ideas.
With the unfortunate rise in burglary incidents, it is crucial to prioritize the safety of our homes and loved ones.