5 Most Common Points of Entry in Your Home

The Front Door

It is hard to imagine that a burglar would have the guts to walk in straight through the front door of your house. Unfortunately, this is very true. 34% of burglars enter through the front door – a percentage higher than that for any other point of entry. This is not surprising – the spare key you keep under the flower pot near the entrance, is not a wise move, everyone knows about it. And most of the times, burglars don’t even need keys. They are experienced in kicking the door down and entering, or removing the hinges to silently gain access to your home.

Here are some steps you can take to protect your front door:

• Install a deadbolt lock for added defense
• Equip your front door with a strong strike plate – to defend against potential kick-ins
• Always ensure that you have locked the door when you leave the house
• Install a door alarm so that you are notified every time someone goes in or out of your house without permission

The Back Door and Sliding Glass Doors

Back entrances are always an attractive option for burglars. They are the ideal entry points since burglars want to avoid unwanted attention from neighbors. Back doors through the kitchen or sliding glass door opening into the deck are vulnerable points from a security perspective. A lot of people leave these doors unlocked or don’t care much for them since they are not used often. And burglars take advantage of this fact. Sliding doors in particular are very vulnerable, even if not smashed. Their standard locks can be opened quite easily and they can be lifted off their tracks even when locked.

Here are some suggestions to protect your back door or sliding door:

• Install durable locks and strike plates for added defense
• A wooden dowel jammed in the track for your sliding door may slow the burglar down
• A sliding bolt to secure the frame might also help in preventing the door from being easily lifted if it is off its track
• Make sure you lock all the doors every time you leave the house
• Install a door alarm or a glass-breakage alarm to ensure sufficient protection for the backdoor

The Garage

Nearly 10% of all burglars gain access to your home via the attached garage. Homeowners who use their garages as the primary entrance into the house typically have a habit of leaving the garage door and the secondary door into the house unlocked for their ease. This mistake is noticed by burglars who scan your house for weak access points before burglarizing it.

Here are tips for protecting your garage entrance to the house:

• Install a sturdy lock and a strike plate for added protection
• Upgrade the lock on the garage door to a stronger, more durable one
• Make sure you lock the door every time you enter or leave the house
• Do not leave the garage door opener in your car
• For increased security, you might want to invest in a padlock with a programmed entry code
• Choose the material for your garage door wisely – fiberglass, wood or metal works the best
• Use timers to close the door behind you, in case you leave in a hurry

The First Floor Windows

When thinking of securing your home, you might not initially give much thought to securing the windows. However, you would be surprised to find out that nearly 23% of burglars enter your home through the first floor windows. Windows are potentially the weakest points in your home and are frequently taken advantage of by burglars. Often, burglars would test every point of entry into your home – if the door does not give them access, they are likely to try and get through the windows.

Here are a few tips you can use to secure your windows against potential break-ins:

• Install reinforced glass – tempered glass, laminated glass or bullet-proof glass can be potential options, depending on your security needs
• Consider polycarbonate and Plexiglas windows – they are of the same thickness as normal glass, but are nearly 10 times stronger and 250 times more impact resistant
• Install window bars – having iron bars on your windows is potentially one of the strongest defenses against burglars. Glass can be broken, but burglars can’t squeeze through iron bars
• Invest in a window alarm – a window sensor, window alarm or glass breakage alarm can be installed to provide added security
• Install a deadbolt locking system on the window
• Make sure you keep the windows closed when you are not home

The Second Floor Windows

At first, second floor windows might not even seem like potential entry points for burglars. But do not be mistaken. When all else fails, burglars would take measures like climbing up a ladder or a tree to gain access to your house through one of the upper storey windows. Even though this is less likely, there is still a 2% chance of an intruder coming in from second floor entrances. Do not take chances in this regard and make sure you secure your second-floor windows as well. For this purpose, treat them like they are on the first floor and use all the measures necessary to defend them against burglars.

Here are a few additional tips that can help you protect the second floor windows better:

• Do not keep a ladder in an easily accessible place for intruders
• Make sure no trees around the house can be used to gain access to the second floor windows
• Keep the windows locked when you are not in the room

In addition to protecting these five specific points, you might want to invest in installing additional security gadgets. These could include CCTV cameras inside and outside your house, bright lighting for the outdoors, infrared motion sensors etc. These gadgets will only help increase the security detail on your house and give you greater control over every point in your house. Other methods can include getting a dog, keeping the lights switched on even when you are not home (to give the impression of being home) and remotely monitoring your house for any odd activities.

These 5 entry points are the most common places intruders look at if they intend on burglarizing your house. Strengthening the security at these points will help you decrease the chances of break-ins and keep your family and valuables safe from harm.