Home Security Checklist

Keeping Your Home Safe

Use this as a guide as you check your home for safety measures. Boxes marked "no" indicate areas where you could take action to improve your home's security. These are just some of the steps you can take to decrease the likelihood that you or your home is targeted.

Security Checklist

Security Item Yes No
Exterior Doors Yes No
All doors are locked at night and every time we leave the house - even if it's just for a few minutes    
Doors are solid hardwood or metal-clad    
Doors feature wide-angle peepholes at heights everyone can use    
If there are glass panels in or near our doors, they are reinforced in some
way so that they cannot be shattered		    
All entryways have a working, keyed entry lock and sturdy deadbolt lock installed into the frame of the door    
Spare keys are kept with a trusted neighbor, not under a doormat or planter, on a ledge, or in a mailbox    
Garage and Sliding Door Security Yes No
The door leading from the attached garage to the house is solid wood or metal-clad and protected with a quality keyed door lock and deadbolt    
The overhead garage door has a lock so that we do not rely solely on the automatic door opener to provide security    
All garage doors are locked when leaving the house    
The sliding glass door has strong working key locks    
A dowel or a pin to secure the glass door has been installed to prevent the door from being shoved aside or lifted off the track    
The sliding door is locked every night and each time we leave the house    
Protecting windows    
Every window in the house has a working key lock or is securely pinned    
Windows are always locked even when they are opened a few inches for ventilation
   
Outdoor Security Yes No
Shrubs and bushes are trimmed so there is no place for someone to hide    
There are no dark areas around our house, garage, or yard at night that would hide prowlers    
Flood lights are used appropriately to ensure effective illumination    
Outdoor lights are on in the evening -whether someone is home or not, or a Photocell or motion-sensitive lighting system has been installed    
Our house numbers are clearly displayed so police and other emergency vehicles can find the house quickly    
Security When Away From Home Yes No
At least two light timers have been set to turn the lights on and off in a logical sequence when we are away for an extended time period    
The motion detector or other alarm system (if we have one) has been activated when we leave home    
Mail and newspaper deliveries have been stopped or arrangements for a neighbor / friend to pick them up have been made when we go away from home for a period of time.    
A neighbor has been asked to tend to the yard and watch our home when we are away.    
Outdoor Valuables and Personal Property Yes No
Gate latches, garage doors, and shed doors are locked with height-security, laminated padlocks    
Gate latches, garage doors, and shed doors are locked after every use    
Grills, lawn mowers, and other valuables are stored in a locked garage or shed, or if left out in the open, are hidden from view with a tarp and securely locked to a stationary point    
Every bicycle is secured with a U-bar lock or a quality padlock and chain    
Bikes are always locked, even if we leave them for just a minute    
Firearms are stored unloaded and locked in storage boxes and secured with trigger guard locks    
Valuable items, such as televisions, stereos, and computers have been engraved with my driver's license number    
Our home inventory is up-to-date and includes pictures. A complete inventory is kept somewhere out of the house