Cheap ways to make your home harder to break into.
Good home security isn't about the most expensive gear — it's about making your place enough of a hassle that someone moves on. Most of that is cheap or free. Here's where the money and effort actually count.
Think like someone trying to get in
Would-be intruders look for the easy option: an unlocked door or window, a hidden spare key, cover to work unseen, and a quick exit. Fix those and you've done most of the job. Walk around your own home and ask, honestly, "how would I get in if I'd locked myself out and didn't care about damage?" That's your to-do list.
Doors: where it matters most
Your external doors carry the load. A solid door is only as strong as its frame and strike plate — the metal plate the bolt sits into. Long screws into the frame timber, a proper deadbolt on entry doors, and no glass panels a hand can reach through to the latch. These aren't glamorous upgrades, but they're the ones that stop a shoulder-barge.
Windows and joinery
Ground-floor and easily-reached windows are the second-favourite entry point. Aluminium joinery locks and simple stops or restrictors are inexpensive and make a window far less inviting. Don't forget the laundry, garage and bathroom windows people leave cracked open — that's often the weak link.
The free stuff that works
- Actually lock up. Sounds obvious, but a lot of break-ins are opportunistic through an unlocked door.
- Lose the hidden spare. Under the mat, in the fake rock, on top of the frame — these are the first places checked. Leave a spare with someone you trust instead.
- Keep keys away from the door. Car and house keys on a hook by the entrance can be fished through a letterbox or window. Keep them out of sight and reach.
- Light and visibility. A sensor light at a dark entry point, and trimming shrubs that give cover, removes the privacy an intruder wants.
You rarely need to spend a fortune. A deadbolt, better strike plates, window locks and dropping the hidden-key habit will do more than the flashiest gadget.
Want a second opinion?
If you're not sure where your weak points are, a locksmith can walk the property with you and tell you what's genuinely worth doing — and what isn't. We'd rather point you to a $30 fix than sell you a $500 one you don't need. It's part of our locks and security service, and a good pairing with a rekey when you move in.