A summer house is this year’s must have garden accessory. Whilst we’ve all been following the “stay at home rules” many people have taken the opportunity to upgrade their homes and gardens. Lots have opted to build an summer house – some even using it as an at home bar. Other people are using sheds to store all manner of garden tools, hobby equipment and even bikes.
What do you keep in your summer house?
Outbuildings are often a favoured target for criminals> with people unwittingly filling them with high value items but leaving them without much security at all. Is your garden bar full of alcohol, complete with with TV screen for the football? Do you use your shed to store your camping kit, valuable bike – or your model railway? Is your garden office home a PC, tablet or printer? Do you store sensitive information in your home office which could be used by fraudsters? The valuable contents of your garden buildings make it incredibly important that they are kept secure. Intruders can more easily access this type of building through large windows or poorly secured doors – and of course they’re less likely to be disturbed at the bottom of the garden.
A summer house or shed is a tempting target for criminals, but that shouldn’t put you off erecting one. We’ve put together a few tips to help keep your garden buildings secure.
Tips for securing your garden buildings
Locks are often the top of the list. It’s important to get a decent lock on your outbuilding, just as with your home. It’s also key to use it and make sure your shed or summer house is locked when you walk away from it.
One straightforward measure is to add your outbuilding onto your existing intruder alarm system. That way any disturbance of the property would set of your alarm. It would notify you via the app and trigger any other monitoring you have.
Does your summer house or garden room have a large unobscured window? Police have long advised people to keep valuables out of sight in cars and away from windowsill in your house. The same applies in your summer house. You could use blinds or curtains to prevent anyone peering in and seeing what’s on offer.
Always make sure you tidy up your garden. Leaving tools out in the garden gives criminals potential tools to use to break in to your outbuildings. It will also tempt them into taking what’s left lying around.
CCTV cameras offer great protection. Either used as a standalone system or by adding to your existing home security cameras. Have you already got cameras looking over your driveway? Add one on to look over your garden and summer house. We also install doorbell cameras, which can be answered from the garden office.
To add to your existing home security system, or install a new system to protect your garden buildings, book online or request a free quote: