How to Make Your House Free From Theft

If you've just bought a new house, it's the most fulfilling feeling ever. It's a sign of financial freedom as well as proof of your diligence after many years of working your ass off. But if there's one thing to worry about owning a house, old or new, it's burglars and thieves lurking around in the neighborhood searching for vulnerable homes that they could easily break into unnoticed.

This is where the necessity of securing your home becomes an urgent matter that you would not want to dismiss as mere paranoia. To get your mind off worries about theft within the community where you live, this article will provide tips and ways to secure and protect your house from break-ins.

Theft and Its Corresponding Elements

Before detailing the ways in which you can implement home security measures to deter burglars, it is also important to learn and understand the legal matters surrounding the crime of theft.

By simple definition, theft is the crime of stealing something of value. It could be a property, jewelry, home appliances, and the like. Likewise, there are certain elements that constitute the crime of theft under Article 308 of the Revised Penal Code. These are the following.

• The taking of personal property;
• The property belongs to another;
• The taking away was performed with the intention of personal gain;
• The taking away was accomplished without the owner's consent;
• The taking away was done without violence/intimidation against a person or force upon things.

Under a different paragraph of the same Article, it also defines people liable for theft as the following:

• having found lost property and failing to deliver said property to the rightful owner or to local authorities;
• having maliciously damaged the property of another person, and then removing or making use of the fruits or said object of the damage caused by him after;
• entering an enclosed field where trespassing is prohibited or which belongs to another and where one proceeds to gather fruits, cereals, and other farm products without the owner's consent.

Top 10 Home Security Tips Versus Theft

The case of securing one's home does not only come as an urgent necessity for neighborhoods with high crime rates. Even if the community where you live has not experienced theft and robbery for years, it's better safe than sorry. Below are some security ideas for your home that we encourage you to do for the entire family's safety and protection.

1. Lock doors.

Locking your exterior doors is the most basic security tip (and the cheapest way too) that every homeowner must take into account, especially during the night when burglars take advantage of the dark to hide. Your front door is their easiest way to break in, so if that's unlocked, it's inviting for them. If you have sliding doors, you would want to reinforce them with a security bar so that they wouldn't be forced open effortlessly.

If you have the budget, go with a door sensor, which will alert you and scare the burglars away. Also, if you have multiple doors, make sure each of them is locked during nighttime or when you're going out. Not needless to say, keep a spare key with you and to a neighbor, if you trust them well enough.

2. Secure your windows.

If the doors are securely locked, the burglars' next best entryway is your first-floor windows. The most affordable way to burglar-proof your windows is to install window bars as an added layer of security against thieves targeting the windows to gain entrance. Also, consider buying or changing your existing windows with types that are considered more deterrent versus thieves. Thieves would not waste much time trying to break into a window that is hard to smash.

3. Install security cameras.

Implementing an entire home security system may seem costly, in that you would need to install a closed-circuit television (CCTV) to record the faces of the bad guys and every single action that they make during a theft, but it's definitely worth it as this means they will be caught more easily. The installation of security cameras is a good investment for home security.

4. Light up your home's outdoors.

Darkness is a friend of burglars. If your house's front and backyards are not lit up, chances are burglars are going to take advantage of it to gain entry undetected. While a CCTV camera can capture burglars in the dark through its infrared technology, a lighted outdoors is arguably more deterrent, as thieves hate to be seen and recognized in the spotlight. So to discourage thieves from even setting foot on your property, turn your home's outdoor lights on. If you worry about electricity costs, bulbs don't consume much energy, especially LED lights.

5. Secure your WiFi network too.

If you make digital transactions using your WiFi network, you could be susceptible to identity theft. You could prevent this by also securing your wireless home network, especially if you also use home automation devices that let you electronically control some household activities and features. One of the most potent ways to encrypt your online transactions is by using a virtual private network (VPN). Other deterrents against hackers include enabling your Wi-Fi Protected Access or WPA, installing antivirus software to your computer, or simply creating a strong, hard-to-guess Wi-Fi password.

6. Always check your garage.

The garage is another hiding spot that burglars could sneak into. Place a light overhead the garage door, and never leave your garage door open. Also, for maximum safety, consider buying a garage door opener, which will enable you to monitor your garage if you're away, as well as allow you to control it and shut it down whenever you want. It all boils down to not underestimating your garage as a potential hiding spot for burglars.

7. Use home automation devices.

A lot of homeowners make efforts into making their houses beautiful and relaxing. Better if you make it a thoroughly safe place too, by installing home automation devices. More than the beauty of one's home, security should be a more compelling feature to add to a home. Besides security cameras, home automation devices include the ones that would allow you to remote-control lights, door locks, and smoke alarms. This way, you can monitor every suspicious activity around the vicinity, and in the process do something about it to scare the thieves away from your abode.

8. Eliminate potential hiding spots.

If you have tall bushes and shrubs surrounding your house, it is high time to trim them down as these are potential (and potent) hiding spots for burglars. You don't need to cut the tree that is close to your house, but you would need to add extra layers of security such as safety tip number two, which is attaching your windows with a security bar in case the thief in the night uses your tree to reach the window for entrance.

9. Consider getting a safe.

A locked door with extra layers shall suffice along with all other safety tips mentioned above. But if the bastards managed to get in, having a sturdy, heavy safe containing vital documents, extra cash, and jewelry hidden somewhere in the house is something you'd want to have, so that at least the burglars wouldn't be successful at taking all your valuable possessions. Also, a safe is too heavy, enough to discourage burglars from walking away with it.

10. Secure a list of numbers to contact.

In the event that the bad guys managed to intrude, calling your local police department or even just sending them a message will help you deal with the problem. So make sure that your phone has a list of contact numbers from local authorities. But if you've come face to face with the intruders holding you hostage at gunpoint or with a knife, it's best to surrender yourself and not make a self-defense attempt. Your life is much more important than any possessions that the burglars can take away.

Lumina Homes: A Burglar-Proof Community with 24/7 Security

Lumina Homes recognizes the utmost importance of developing a mass housing community that will make homeowners feel safe and sound every night and day. Lumina Homes implements a 24/7 security service for the collective safety of its homeowners. What is more, the gated, guarded entrance in the subdivision discourages the entry of outsiders who may have evil motives.

If you plan to seal a real estate investment through an affordable house and lot, Lumina Homes is a trusted builder of mass housing and was awarded by Pag-IBIG as a top housing developer in the country for its provisions of quality yet affordable house and lot for sale. Make your reservations today and own a Lumina house and lot in the Philippines!