As November approaches and the clocks wind back, home owners across the UK are encouraged to prepare for the highest crime season of the year. More than a decade of insurance claims and police reports have revealed that rates of home intrusion, vandalism and domestic fire soar in the first week of November.
In order to raise awareness and encourage homeowners to revise their home security before this autumnal crime spike, Yale has sponsored a nationwide initiative: National Home Security Month. This campaign is designed to provide security tips and advice to residents on a range of security issues throughout October, including property protection on the worst nights of the year for domestic theft and vandalism: Halloween and Bonfire Night.
For a freelance worker or small business owner operating from home, the effects of a burglary can be particularly devastating. When you consider the cost of repairing, replacing and potentially rebuilding your businesses a month before Christmas, the case for investing in a high quality home security hardly needs making. We’ve collated research and tips from security authorities to help you limit the threat to your livelihood.
Revise and refresh your home security with a risk assessment
The number one cause of crime is opportunity. After the clocks go back, longer darker evenings give burglars more time to locate unoccupied houses without being seen and reported. To effectively deter criminals, home-business owners must close and lock these windows of opportunity; the best way to do this is with a home security risk assessment.
When you establish a professional workspace within your home, it becomes even more important to regularly review and update your home security. Whether you have converted your garage into a paint studio, or set up office in a spare room, business ventures can evolve rapidly in relatively short spaces of time. This growth can result in your workspace filling up with new, valuable equipment, materials or finished products without adequate security measures in place.
By arranging regular security assessments you can ensure that your home and business is always covered by an appropriate level of protection. Valuable computers or power tools, for instance, would require a relatively high security system, such as a burglar alarm system or window security grille, to discourage criminals.
Even if your business is in its fledgling years, having a clearly signposted burglar alarm should be top on the list of necessary security installments. As London home security providers Banham recommend, you can choose to integrate burglar alarm systems with a Home CCTV installation or monitored alarm services. This is ideal for home based businesses as it allows the security system to flex and adapt in accordance to demand and growth.
Professional approach to autumn home security
If your business depends on clients and customers coming to your home HQ, then revising security is also a great opportunity to ensure your property has a strong professional appearance. The number of entrepreneurs setting up highly developed small businesses in their garden sheds is on the rise. A recent article by The Guardian interviewed women who had created everything from PR offices to beauty salons in their backyards. In these circumstances, making the boundaries of your premises more established and secure is hugely important.
One security feature which stands out as a choice option for client contact home businesses are automated gates. Carter Security recommend that both residential and commercial property owners install automated gates as part of a reliable and comprehensive security system. With strong aesthetic and security function, gates are an excellent investment for long term business ventures.
Garden sheds and outhouse studios are notoriously common targets for crime. Often free from external or street lighting, gardens provide ample hiding places for burglars during darker evenings. If you’ve established a business base outside the main building of your home, it is important to extend your home security system accordingly. Simple and effective measures you can take to deter garden crime includes motion sensitive lighting and attack resistant locks.
Take the time during October to bring your home business security up to speed, and protect your home from the risk of burglary all year round.
