Often overlooked when worrying about home security, the attic can be one of the most vulnerable areas of the house. There are many reasons behind why the attic is so vulnerable to intrusions, many of which can be easily protected. The problem is that the average family does not consider securing the attic until it is far too late. More often than not the attic is left unsecured, and viewed as a place ‘too difficult to gain access to anyway.’ This in and of itself can lead to danger, because any thief of opportunity can easily identify a home with easy attic access.
The first major step to take towards protecting your home security is to ensure that the only access to your attic is through the actual home. If there are any windows, doors, or external entryways at all your home could be under serious threat of an intrusion. If necessary, call in a professional to seal off any former openings leading to the attic, and have the proper secure ventilation systems installed. Even with the same buzzers and motion detectors used on the rest of the house, it is just too difficult to secure openings that high off the ground, so it’s best to seal the problem off from the very start!
Many homeowners additionally make the mistake of leaving external access points like the garage, storm doors to the basement, or entrances to crawl spaces wide open. Keep in mind that using a simple padlock is as good as leaving the front door to your property wide open as a padlock can be knocked off with one swift blow by any average person on the street, let alone an experienced thief or other intruder. Make sure that all locks are of top quality and are accessed from inside the home. If possible, as with the attic seal off the entrance entirely and create another alternative entrance that is only accessible through the actual home.
With the attic secured, it’s time to make sure nobody can gain access to the rest of the home. Using a monitored home security system to immediately notify authorities, and to yourself be notified of any disturbances is generally considered the best way to go. Not only do you have a full security team on your side 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but your home is three times less likely to be broken into just by virtue of having the signage that says you are protected. Considering that the average criminal only wants two things: to get away with the crime and to benefit economically, a home alarm system is the best thorn a homeowner can stick in the criminal’s side. For one, the criminal knows that he or she will not have much time in the home to find the most valuable items which are often stored away, and two it’s far more likely that the authorities will arrive before they can make a clean escape. Be sure to protect not only your attic, but your entire residence with the power of modern technology and as always, good common sense.