With British Summertime upon us, everyone is in the thick of enjoying long evenings in the local pub garden and warm, sunny days spent in the back garden. Unfortunately, with everyone venturing out of the house more often than they’re in it, opportunists spring up everywhere. With the freedom to spend more time outside, it’s easy to become carefree, so be certain you don’t leave your property and belongings vulnerable.

Take our advice and enjoy your summer without any worries and complete peace of mind.

1. Avoid leaving doors and windows open.

You may be tempted to leave windows and doors open to allow a breeze to flow through the house, keeping your house cool and fresh. However, by doing this, you may as well advertise your home as an open house for anyone and everyone to enjoy. To cover your back, stick to letting the clean air in when you’re at home and you’ll be able to deter any unwanted visitors.

2. Store valuables in a safe place.

Before heading out, take the time to double check you haven’t left items such as laptops, expensive jewellery, and cash out in plain sight as bait for burglars. Unfortunately, shutting the curtains isn’t the best option throughout these months. There’s always the possibility that culprits will notice this, suspect that something is being hidden and target the house.

As well as considering where you place your valuables inside the home, don’t forget to consider where you’re placing your valuables outside of the home. If there’s one thing we strongly advise against, it would be hiding your door key outside. This would be the equivalent of handing your door key to the perpetrators.

3. Protect your sheds and garages.

Throughout the spring and summer months, sheds and garages become one of the most broken into properties. The ability to locate items easily with the help of more daylight, the simplicity to break into them, and the guarantee of expensive items such as bikes and tools, makes them appealing challenges to attempt. For the sake of a few pounds, be sure to install extra security and protection for these defenceless areas.

4. Spending time in the garden?

One of the worst types of burglaries are those that happen right under your nose, but they’re often the easiest for those who are looking for a lucky chance. When provided with the combination of being able to hear that you’re outside and knowing there’s a high chance the door is unlocked with an occupied home, burglars won’t be able to resist the opportunity. With this in mind, it’s worth purchasing and installing a camera that you can use to keep an eye on the front of your house while you’re enjoying the back.

5. Ask the neighbour for a favour.

Wherever you live, there’s always value in getting to know your neighbours. Ideally, having someone nearby that will be happy to keep an eye out for any suspicious behaviour around your property can help to put you at ease. Whether they choose to create deterrents for anyone they don’t recognise, or if they only alert you about what they’ve noticed. Either way, you can rest assured that you’re being looked out for.

By being a little more vigilant about what’s happening around you and your property, you should find that you’re able to enjoy the warm weather and lighter evenings to the maximum.