One in seven homeowners are confused about the most effective ways to improve their home security, research shows.
A survey from Confused.com revealed that 14% don’t know where to turn, while one in 10 admitted to moving house because they felt unsafe in their old neighbourhood.
Some of the 2,000 homeowners surveyed even admitted to setting up fake burglar alarms and buying a dog to make them feel safer.
There are many home security measures homeowners can install, from wireless cameras to a fully-integrated whole house system, so it’s understandable some don’t know where to start.
(MORE: How to Design a Smart Home)
Smart Choices for Your Home Security
Thankfully, there are far more practical and efficient ways of securing your home, including the use of high-quality locks and upgrading your doors and windows.
There is smart home tech available for every budget, and some video doorbells and smart security cameras are surprisingly affordable to help you make your home smarter.
As well as being really convenient, video doorbells will send notifications to your smartphone will not only alert you when someone approaches your front door, but will also allow you to see who it is - even when you’re away from home.
(MORE: Best video doorbells)
What Makes Homeowners Feel Safe?
Homeowners feel safest based on low crime rates in the area (35%), the number of streetlights (21%) and seeing police on the streets (21%).
Liverpool ranked the best UK city overall for safety, which has the highest number of CCTV cameras (35,254) compared with any other major city, and a crime rate of 59,000 reports per year, lower than the UK average of 71,000.
Jessica Willock, home insurance expert at Confused.com, said: “When it comes to choosing where to live, safety is a key consideration. We are responsible for keeping our properties secure, although many people are confused about the most effective way to do this.
“Our expert advice suggests that installing a burglar alarm could offer you the best security, with some being more sophisticated than others. Not only this but having certain types of alarms installed could offer a discount on your home insurance costs.”
