Horley Locksmith

What we don’t stop to think about is how secure our homes are. Unfortunately, each year we see an increase in home burglaries during the festive season, especially on the lead up to Christmas Day. 

During the weeks before Christmas we all tend to have all the presents stored (hopefully wrapped) ready for thew 25th December. This makes home burglary an attractive target for thieve to target. Lots of high end, expensive items ready for the taking. 

What can you do to try and keep your home safe for the holidays? We spoke with Dan Reynolds, Director of RLM Locksmiths to get some top tips about what you can do to make your home safer. 

One of the first things to think about is the wonderful festive lighting outside our homes. Consider how you’re feeding those electric cables into your property. Are you leaving a window slightly open and insecure? We recommend considering an alternative (getting an external plug socket installed), or at the very least double check the entry points are as secure as possible if being unattended. 

At a time when many of us are hoping to get away and visit family and friends over the Christmas period it’s important to leave your home secure while you are away. If you have a trusted neighbour, get them to check on your house each day, removing any post, switching lights on and off and closing curtains at night-time, all of which give the impression that someone is home. Get someone to put the bins away on rubbish day. Bins left in the road is a tell-tale sign that the homeowner is away. 

If you have recently moved house, it’s vital that you change your locks. A staggering 58% of people don’t change their locks when they move. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of moving into your new home, especially at Christmas time, when there is so much else to think about. It’s possible that a number of people might still have keys to your property. As soon as you can, instruct a local locksmith to change all your locks. You’ve invested a considerable sum of money into your new property, so you owe it to yourself to make it safe and secure. The better the lock the harder it will be for anyone to break in. Spending a few extra pounds on your security will serve you well down the line. 

After the excitement of Christmas Day, it’s easy to forget that the empty boxes left outside (xbox, playstation or Iphone) is a nice big advert to any burglars what nice new things you have in your home. Make sure boxes are not on display when rubbish is put outside. Same applies to posting on social media, be cautions of any posts that show your lovely new gifts, especially if your social media is visible to everyone. 

A little bit of attention towards your home security will ensure that you are less likely to be a target this Christmas, and remember to always check all doors and window before you go out to walk off that Christmas turkey.