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Why Your Garage Door Needs to Be Included in Your Security Audit

A outdoor photo of a home with a garage door.

Why is Securing the Garage Important?

Focusing on garage door safety is important because it is one further step in keeping your home and family safe from intruders. Did you know that a thief can break into a garage door in as little as six seconds? In addition, nine percent of burglars gain access to homes through poorly secure garage doors. 

The mere fact that garage doors provide easy access for burglars to enter your home is enough reason to take extra precautions securing them. Luckily, there are many ways to ensure your home stays secure – keep reading to find out more!

Check Out These Tips for Securing Your Garage

  1. Cover all exterior windows with frosted glass, adhesives, or privacy blockers. Thieves will often scope out their target areas before committing the crime. Covering your windows will help hide your valuables and reduce their motives.
  2. Install motion-detecting lights near your garage doors to increase visibility and deter thieves from breaking in. You’ve heard the saying that the thief will come in the dead of night – that’s because they can sleuth better in the dark. These lights will do well at exposing their actions and hopefully scare them away.
  3. Lock the house access door located inside the garage. Even if a robber gains access to your garage, it’s better to guarantee they can’t get into your home. Locking your house door in your garage is one extra step of security that will pay off if you ever need it.
  4. Invest in a garage door lock – door locks are a very affordable way to go the extra step with securing your garage door. The device attaches to the garage door, disabling someone from opening the door from the outside.
  5. A great way to improve the overall security of your home and not just your garage area is to install security cameras. Cameras reduce break-ins by 300% and are the most effective way to protect your home and family. 

Can Pop-A-Lock Help?

Pop-A-Lock has a free security audit checklist that you can do today – it will guide you through different areas of your home and help you guarantee it’s secure. The audit mentions the following ways to secure your garage area:

  • The audit further supports the use of motion sensor cameras outside the home.
  • It encourages homeowners to lock up valuables like tools with lock cables.
  • Joining a neighborhood watch group is highly recommended.
  • It reinforces the installation of special locks on the garage and home doors.
  • Get a new and more secure garage door if possible.

Our team focuses on these four safety points: to deter thieves, delay their access to your valuables, document their identity, and disclose break-in attempts to the police. Creating unappealing targets or making your home more challenging to enter are great ways to keep robbers away. If there are any break-in attempts, having the ability to document those attempts and submit evidence to the police will be crucial to help stop them in the future.

An outdoor photo of homes with garage doors.

Don’t Hesitate to Secure Your Home!

Our expert technicians are very passionate about keeping your home and family safe. Pop-A-Lock offers a variety of services geared toward improving your home’s safety. We offer lock installation and can even install electronic locks that are the most secure option for your home’s doors. Rekeying your locks is recommended after purchasing the house or after events that leave your safety feeling unstable – our team can help with that, too. 

Whether you need specific garage door services or need to focus on improving the overall security of your home, Pop-A-Lock is always there to help. Give our team a call to set up an appointment! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about our security audit – we’re happy to help!

Renovating Your Home? Here’s What You Need to Know to Stay Safe

A photo of a kitchen area being remodeled with tarps and construction products.

Renovating your home is already a stressful time – worrying about your home’s security does not make it easier. The project could leave areas of your home compromised, materials out in the open, and maybe even more strangers in your home. It’s during this time that home security is most important! Luckily, we’ve created a handy guide to help homeowners navigate maintaining the safety of themselves and their belongings while they update their homes.

Do a Background Check on the Contractor

It is always wise to do a thorough background check on anyone who frequents your home, especially contractors. Background checks ensure that the contractor is credible and trustworthy.

If you opt-out of doing a background check, another good route is to ask friends and family for referrals. If someone you know had a great experience with a contractor, then it would only benefit you more to choose them for your project!

When in doubt, you can always ask the contractor for tips on securing your home during its renovation process. You can also inquire about recommendations they might have considered having ample experience renovating homes.

Avoid Giving Keys to Strangers

While it might make things easier, don’t give your contractor an extra set of keys for easy access to your home. Generally, a good rule of thumb to follow in regards to your house keys is not to give them to people you don’t know or trust.

 There are moments where you find it more convenient to let someone come and go as they please, but that gives them access to your belongings whenever they please. You also cannot verify whether or not they duplicated your key, so it’s best to be around to let them in whenever they need access.

Lock Your Valuables Away

Not only would keeping your valuables stored away during the renovation keep them out of the way from dust and debris, but it also ensures they stay safe. Locking valuable items away in a locked closet or a safe is the best thing to do whenever you have strangers in your home. 

You could always go the extra mile with large, expensive items and choose to rent a storage unit. A unit is a more extreme precaution to take, but nothing is too safe whenever it comes to maintaining your home’s safety! Exposed walls and new faces could pose a risk – it’s better to be safer than sorry.

A photo of a home being renovated with exposed walls and a man on a ladder.

Update Your Security System

One of the most effective deterrents of theft is a security system. Nowadays, there are many different systems you can install in or around your home to keep thieves away. Most security systems allow for remote monitoring – even while you’re away from the project, you can keep a close eye on things.

If a full-blown security system doesn’t suit your needs, Pop-A-Lock has a handy security checklist that would help. This checklist serves as a security audit and will walk you through various points in your home to look over. It serves as a helpful guide in not only preventing break-ins, but also deterring them from your property.

Let Pop-A-Lock Rekey Your Home’s Locks

Lastly, the best form of precaution you can take during a home renovation is to rekey your locks afterward. Once the job is finished, rekeying the locks on your doors will solidify your knowledge of exactly who has access to your home. Rekeying ensures that the old keys do not give access to your home in case someone did get a hold of an extra set.

Pop-A-Lock makes rekeying your locks quite simple! Visit our website to make an appointment, then one of our expert technicians will come directly to your home to rekey your locks. We offer that and many other services that you’ll find very beneficial after remodeling your home. Check out all of our residential services by clicking here!