How To Secure Your Home: 13 Ways to Keep Your Home Safe
TL;DR
- Most home break-ins happen through unlocked doors and windows, so securing your entry and exit points is the single most effective way to secure your home.
- A layered approach works best: strong exterior doors and window locks, a security screen door, sensor lighting, and a security camera system all add an extra layer of protection.
- Simple habits matter as much as hardware. Keeping spare keys and car keys out of plain sight, locking the garage door, and not leaving mail piling up all reduce your risk.
- Protect what matters most with a fire-resistant safe for cash, valuables, and important documents.
- For a genuinely secure home, a site survey from a qualified home security specialist identifies vulnerable areas you might not notice yourself.
- John Barnes Group has been helping Australian homeowners protect their properties since 1966, and our locksmiths can help you put every tip below into practice.
Wondering how to secure your home against break-ins, or how do you make your home secure enough to stop thieves altogether? You are not alone. Home break-ins remain a genuine concern for homeowners across Australia, and most offenders are opportunists, targeting whichever house looks like the easiest target on the street.
The good news is that you do not need to turn your home into a fortress. Most break-ins happen because of a handful of avoidable mistakes: an unlocked door, a window left open, or a spare key left in an obvious place. Fix those vulnerable areas and you remove most of the risk.
At John Barnes Group, home security has been our business since 1966. Our locksmiths work with government departments, tier one construction companies, and everyday homeowners across South East Queensland and beyond, so we understand the entry and exit points that criminals actually exploit. Below are 13 practical, achievable ways to secure your home.
1. Start with your entry and exit points
Most break-ins happen through the doors and windows you use every day, not through a dramatic forced entry. Walk around your property and note every entry and exit point, including doors, windows, garage access, and side gates. An unlocked door left open for convenience is one of the most common targets for potential intruders, so make locking up a habit.
2. Upgrade your exterior doors
Your front door and other external doors are the obvious places thieves check first. Quality deadlocks, solid frames, and a door viewer all make your home a harder target. If your current hardware feels flimsy, it is worth having a locksmith assess whether your external doors meet current Australian Standards.
3. Install a security screen door
A security screen door adds an extra layer of protection without blocking airflow or light. Look for a door built and tested to Australian Standards, ideally with a triple lock, as these are far harder to force than a standard flyscreen door. It is a small investment that turns your front door from an easy target into a genuine deterrent.
4. Check your sliding glass doors
Sliding glass doors are a common target because older models are easy to lift off their tracks or force open. Adding a secondary lock or a security bar closes this gap, and it is one of the most overlooked vulnerable areas in an otherwise secure home.
5. Fit proper window locks and screens
Unlocked windows offer thieves easy access, particularly ground-floor windows hidden from the street. Fitting window locks and security screens throughout the house, including on windows you rarely open, removes one of the simplest entry points for potential offenders.
6. Secure your garage door
The garage door is one of the most common blind spots in home security. A weak or unlocked garage door gives intruders easy access and cover from plain sight while they work. Locking your garage door and roller doors closes off one of the easiest entry and exit points into the house.
7. Manage your spare keys and car keys
Spare keys hidden under a doormat, in a dog bowl, or in other obvious places are one of the oldest tricks in the book, and potential intruders know to check them. Store spare keys with a trusted neighbour or in a lockbox instead. The same goes for car keys: keep them away from windows and out of plain sight, since stolen car keys can lead to a stolen car and stolen property from inside your home.
8. Install security cameras
A well-placed security camera system is one of the strongest deterrents against break-ins. Cameras covering your front door, garage door, and other entry points help you monitor activity in real time and provide evidence if the worst happens. A video doorbell adds a further layer, letting you see and speak to visitors even when you are not home.
9. Add sensor lighting and motion detectors
Most break-ins happen at night, when darkness gives potential intruders cover. Sensor lighting and motion detectors that automatically turn on when someone approaches remove that advantage, particularly around side gates and other vulnerable areas away from the street.
10. Make your house number easy to see
It sounds simple, but a clearly visible house number helps police and emergency services find your property quickly if something does go wrong. It is a small detail, but one that genuinely supports every other security measure on this list.
11. Do not advertise that you are away
Thieves watch for signs a home is empty for an extended period, from an overflowing mailbox to unattended communal areas around apartments and townhouses. Ask a neighbour to collect your mail, keep lights on a timer, and avoid posting travel plans publicly. Swimming pools and other outdoor areas should also be secured, since an unlocked pool gate can be as much of a liability as an unlocked door.
12. Protect valuables in a safe
Even the best door hardware will not stop every determined intruder, so it pays to protect your most valuable items separately. A fire-resistant safe, bolted to the floor or wall and kept out of plain sight, keeps cash, jewellery, and important documents secure even if someone does get inside.
13. Get a professional site survey
Every home has its own vulnerable areas, which is why a site survey from an accredited home security specialist is one of the most valuable steps you can take. A professional locksmith will assess your entry and exit points, existing hardware, and any obvious gaps, then recommend a solution tailored to your property rather than a generic checklist.
“The homes that get broken into most often are usually the ones with one or two small, easily fixed weaknesses. An unlocked window, a spare key in an obvious place, or a garage door that is never used. A proper site survey picks up on those vulnerable areas before an intruder does.”
– John Barnes Group
Why home security is worth getting right
Home break-ins can mean far more than the cost of stolen property. They put your loved ones at risk and take away the sense of safety every home should provide. Taking the time to secure your home properly, from your exterior doors and windows through to your security cameras and safe, is one of the most worthwhile investments you can make as a homeowner.
John Barnes Group has provided locksmith and security solutions to Australian homes, government departments, and construction projects since 1966. Our locksmiths can supply and install everything from security screen doors and window locks to full security camera systems, so you do not have to work out what suits your property on your own.
Our discussion on Channel 9 News
Home break-ins have been a genuine talking point across Australia in recent years, and we were pleased to sit down with a team from Channel 9 News to share our take as home security specialists. Watch the segment below to hear more about the trends we are seeing and what they mean for Australian homeowners.
Get in touch
If you are ready to make your home more secure, get in touch with our team to arrange a site survey or ask about any of our products.
