Last night, someone decided it would be fun to rifle through my husband’s truck that was accidentally left unlocked. Thankfully nothing was stolen, but it made me think through our security vulnerabilities. Fortunately, we have home security locks and a security system that would make life difficult should these thieves ever try to enter our home, but it is pretty scary to think about our vulnerability.

Home Security Locks: Why You Need Them

Did you know 28 percent of burglaries happen when people are home? That is a scary fact. FBI reports also show, out of those burglaries, 79 percent of burglars enter the home through a first floor door or window.

What does this mean for you?

Lock your doors, even when you are home. There are plenty of great home security locks available, many of which you can purchase from big box retail stores such as Lowes or Home Depot.

Home security locks are inexpensive and could make the difference between a burglar entering your home, or heading down the street to find an unlocked door. I can almost guarantee you that had our truck been locked last night, the thieves would have moved on to the next car.

Home Security Locks: The Vulnerabilities

Unfortunately, having and using home security locks does not guarantee burglars won’t enter your home. They can still break windows, pick locks, or even bump locks.

Lock bumping uses a special bump key to unlock doors and leaves no trace of tampering. It requires very little skill or know-how to bump a lock. As such, you want to make sure you buy home security locks that are resistant to lock bumping.

Home Security: Perform an Audit

To keep your home as secure as possible, do a full audit of your home to check for things such as adequate outdoor lighting, overgrown shrubbery near windows and doors, and hidden keys. Kwikset has a great list of things to consider to increase your home security.

What do you do to increase your home security? Let us know in the comments!