Home Burglary Prevention Checklist

The following checklist was designed to help you improve the overall security and safety of your home.

The main purpose of any home security inspection is to help you familiarize yourself with the features in your home or daily routines of your family, which might make it vulnerable to burglary. While we believe everyone should have a security system in their home, there are things you can do to deter intruders and keep your home as safe as it can be. Your security inspection should begin at your front door, and cover all of your home’s doors, windows, locks, lights and landscaping. If there are any questions on the checklist, to each you’ve answered “No”, you should correct the current condition to help ensure the safety and protection of your family and home.

Doors

• Are the doors of the home metal or solid wood construction?
• Do your entry doors provide a wide-angle view?
• Are all door locks sturdy and in good condition?
• Are there any windows within 40 inches of the door locks?
• Can the locking mechanism be reached through a mail slot, or pet entrance?
• Are door hinges protected from removal from the outside?
• Can all your doors be securely locked?
• Are entry points unobstructed by shrubbery or other decor for maximum visibility?
• Do your sliding glass doors lift out of the track?
• Are door frames strong enough and tight enough to prevent forcing or spreading?
• Is there a screen or storm door with an adequate lock?
• Are all entrances lighted with at least a 40-watt light?

Windows

• Are all windows equipped with auxiliary key locks or are they pinned?
• Are your window locks properly and securely mounted?
• Do you keep your windows locked when shut?
• Do you use locks that will allow you to lock partially opened windows?
• Are you as careful to secure your second floor windows, as you are to secure those on the first floor?
• Do windows have screens or storm windows that lock from the inside?
• Do windows that open into hazardous areas have security screens or grills?
• Are exterior areas of windows free from concealing structure or landscaping
• Is the exterior adequately lighted at all window areas?
• Are ladders kept where they are not accessible?

Entrances from Garage and Basement

• Are all entrances to the living quarters from a garage or basement of metal or solid wood construction?
• Does the door from the garage to the living quarters have locks adequate for exterior entrances?
• Does the door from the basement to the living quarters have an adequate lock operated from the living quarter’s side?

Basement Doors and Windows

• Is there a door from the outside to the basement?
• If so, is that door adequately secure for an exterior door?
• Is the outside basement entrance lighted by an exterior light of at least 40 watts?
• Is the outside basement door concealed from the street or neighbors?
• Are all basement windows adequately secured against entrance?

Garage Doors and Windows

• Are garage doors equipped with a working locking device?
• Is the garage door closed and secured at all times?
• Are the garage windows secured adequately for ground floor windows?
• Is the entrance to the garage as secure as other entries to the house?
• Are tools and ladders stored in the garage? Are all garage doors lit on the outside by a 40-watt light or greater?