The home security experts at ADT have shared their summer checklist to ensure your home is safe and secure during the summer months. 

Michele Bennett, General Manager at ADT UK&I Subscriber, comments: “During the summer months homeowners tend to be less security conscious, leaving windows and doors open and spending longer periods of time away from their homes. However, lighter nights do not mean that your homes are safer. Our studies show that summer is the second worst time of year for burglaries in the UK, with over 277,000 recorded. 

“With that in mind, we have created a summer safety checklist that should be followed each year.”

Check your windows and doors 

Whilst it may be tempting to sleep with the window open during hot weather, this can be an invitation to potential thieves. It is best to use air conditioning units or fans, and if a window must be left open, it is important to make sure that it is on a latch that burglars cannot open. 

Light up your home 

Smart plugs can be used like a traditional timer switch, but you can stagger the times they come on and you can operate the lights in your home remotely, no matter where you are. This is especially important during the summer months, when you may find yourself staying out later than usual. 

Your video doorbell and camera devices can also work in collaboration with smart plugs so when they detect motion outside, the system can switch on lights. 

Keep valuables in a safe place 

If possible, move the most valuable items in your home to a more secure place, such as a safe. Remember that safe boxes can be lifted and carried out, so ideally, your safe should be built into a wall or bolted down. If you don’t have a safe or your items won’t fit, make sure you store them away so they can’t be seen through your window, as this might encourage burglars to try and break in. Burglars most frequently target the following items, so make sure these items aren’t on display in your home:

• Cash
• Electronics
• Expensive jewellery and watches
• Designer fashion items

Secure your home with cameras and an alarm

Consider investing in home security cameras, teamed with a good intruder alarm, security cameras reduce the chances of your home being broken into. While it is perhaps the most obvious, it is also one of the most effective - a home security camera makes your home 30% less likely to be targeted by intruders. 

For even better security of your home, consider a monitored home security system. The advantage of monitoring is that in the event of an alarm activation, your alarm is never ignored, as an alarm receiving centre will be notified to inform you and those you designate.  Depending on the level of monitoring you opt for the police can even be alerted.

Do not neglect your garden 

Keep your garden in check - don’t forget that your garden is an extension of your property, and a garden can be seen as an easy target by burglars. As the weather gets warmer and more people spend time in their gardens, valuable objects are more likely to be left outside by accident. Remember to keep your gate shut at all times, and make sure to put any furniture and tools you may have been using away.  

 Don’t forget to set your alarm 

This may seem like an obvious one, but many people with home alarm systems forget or choose not to set their alarm when they go out. If you already have a home alarm system, remember to set it up before leaving your home, even if you’re away for a few hours. But don’t worry, with an ADT home security system you can be sent arming reminders if you haven't set the alarm or have the alarm come on automatically.

Install lockable sash jammers

Often burglars use a crowbar to wedge the window mechanisms out of place and gain access to the targeted properties, therefore, sash jammers could represent a very effective security measure.

Rely on your furry friends

Dogs can also be an effective weapon against break-ins. Getting a sign that indicates that a dog is in the house, even if there’s no real dog, could discourage burglars from targeting your property.

To see how secure your home is, take this quiz put together by the experts at ADT: Catch the intruder - security quiz