If you are content that your home is fully secure, it’s worth taking a few moments to appreciate some ways that a thief might find to spot your home is worth their attention, or to make it easy to gain access…

What to watch out for

A thief will take note of all the changes around a home if they are regularly checking properties. Well-tended hanging baskets of flowers that haven’t been looked after for a few days can suggest the home owners are away. This person might pick up flyers for a local business and then half-post them through letterboxes to see if any are still there much later.

A clever house thief might actually knock on your door and ask for directions. He’s only interested in the places where there’s no answer! Equally, if you do answer, he could offer to provide a garden or outside cleaning service that would mean he could come round when you are out at work.

A burglar might pose as a workman in the area and ask if he could use your toilet. Then, he might carefully unlatch the window just a tiny amount to enter later.

A small home safe isn’t safe unless you’ve bolted it to the floor. If it’s portable and manageable, a burglar wouldn’t spend valuable time trying to open it, he would just take it with him!

It’s amazing how many people will take an officially-dressed person, holding a clipboard, who knocks on their door, at face value. Guess what kind of questions they might ask?

Thieves are increasingly fans of social media – particularly the places where people announce they are off on holiday or post pictures from far-flung destinations. Remember, it doesn’t cost much for them to join a search site that provides addresses!

Now, any of the above probably won’t happen to you. But they might! So, be vigilant, and of course, make sure your home is always secured with quality locks and alarm systems. Burglars will always look for the easiest targets!

If you have any concerns about the security level of your property, do call 1300 788 446 and chat with a member of our helpful and experienced residential locksmith team here at Melbourne Locksmiths.