They say that a man’s home is his castle, and most castles have quite a few security measures to keep those inside safe and to keep unwanted guests outside. While dual occupancy homes have many benefits and offer incredible value, no home – not even a sleek and modern dual occupancy home – will be a great place to live if it isn’t safe.
Now, that doesn’t mean you need to start digging trenches for moats and drawbridges, but you should certainly give a considerable amount of attention to securing your home with tried and true security features. Here are five quick tips on how to secure your dual occupancy home:
01. Invest in High-Quality Door Locks
The first line of defence against unwanted entry might be a gate or fence around the property boundary, but the most critical deterrent to burglary and unauthorised entry will certainly be your front door locks.
It’s the most common entry point for opportunistic burglars (most are opportunistic and their crimes have no forethought), and it’s also the first thing they’ll check when trying to enter your property.
Dual occupancy homes should always have front doors made of robust materials (e.g. composite, heavy timber, aluminium) and standards-compliant locks. A mortise lock backed up by a sashlock will deter the vast, vast majority of burglary attempts.
02. Use Smart Home Security Systems
While once the domain of the ultra-rich in enormous mansions, smart home technology has dropped significantly in price, and it’s now perfectly feasible to have these deployed in your dual occupancy home.
CCTV cameras, smart doorbells, burglar alarm systems, and motion detection lights can all be integrated as part of a smart home security system. While these are no substitute for a good set of locks, they can bolster security even further.
03. Have Reasonably Good Relations with Neighbours (Optional)
Depending on where your dual occupancy home is located and who your neighbours happen to be, forming a good relationship with them can make a world of difference if there is suspicious activity within the neighbourhood.
Naturally, this isn’t guaranteed, but whenever possible, you should at the very least introduce yourself and gauge the situation to see if it’s wise to have an informal (or even formal) neighbourhood watch set up. Perhaps when the neighbour isn’t home, he might give you permission to pick up parcels and vice versa.
If you have great relations with your neighbour(s), you could even entrust them with a backup copy of your house key, although trustworthy family/friends should come first.
04. Use Window Locks & Other Deterrents
Doors are the primary point of entry, but more determined burglars might try to crack a window open if it’s easy to do so. Window locks and sash jammers can be great ways to keep windows locked whilst closed or slightly ajar, but locked from opening beyond a certain point.
To boost security around ground-level windows, consider planting thick shrubs that deter anyone from approaching the window, or alternatively, having no flora nearby but covering the area with motion-sensing lights and/or CCTV.
05. Make Your Dual Occupancy Home Seem Occupied
For anyone going away on holiday or even throughout the da,y if you’re away from home all day, clever burglars might know and take advantage of this fact and become a little more determined in their efforts.
You can create the illusion that your home is occupied even when it isn’t with things like timed lights that go on and off periodically. Keeping the property clean and tidy can also give the impression that the home is lived in and someone is likely to be home (even if they aren’t).
Trevor Homes
Learn more about dual occupancy homes with Trevor Homes.
