Home Security Tips: Protect Your Property and Check Your Insurance

Burglary patterns and risk vary by place and time, so avoid relying on a single national total or promised risk reduction. Start with New Zealand Police guidance for securing doors, windows, sheds and garages and keeping valuables out of sight.

Security features can affect policy terms, cover or pricing differently between insurers. Check the current policy and ask the insurer what evidence or system specifications it requires before spending money.

Physical Security Fundamentals

Before investing in technology, ensure your basic physical security is sound. Locks, doors, and windows are your first line of defence. No amount of cameras or alarms helps if a burglar can simply push open a weak door.

Door Security

External doors should be solid core or solid timber, not hollow core interior doors. The strike plate should be secured with long screws that reach the wall framing, not just the door frame. A quality deadlock provides significantly more resistance than a standard latch lock.

Sliding doors present particular vulnerabilities. Install a bar or dowel in the track to prevent the door being forced. Consider an auxiliary lock that pins the door to the frame. Glass panels beside doors should be laminated or security film applied to prevent reaching through to unlock from inside.

Look for locks meeting appropriate security standards. Deadlocks should have a minimum 20mm bolt throw. For insurance purposes, some policies require specific lock grades. Check your policy requirements before upgrading locks.

Window Security

Windows are common entry points. Ensure all windows have working locks and use them, especially when away from home. Key-lockable window stays allow ventilation while preventing the window opening wide enough for entry.

Ground floor windows and those accessible from flat roofs, fences, or climbing structures deserve particular attention. Security window film on glass prevents easy smash-and-reach entry. Security screens or grilles provide strong protection but affect appearance and emergency egress.

Alarm Systems

An alarm can alert occupants or a monitoring service when configured correctly, but no system guarantees deterrence, a response or reduced loss. Check how alerts, false alarms, maintenance and any monitoring service work.

Monitored vs Unmonitored

Unmonitored and monitored alarms have different alert and response arrangements. Confirm exactly who receives an alert, what the monitoring provider does, when Police may be contacted and what happens during a false alarm.

Monitoring charges and insurer requirements vary. Obtain current quotes and written policy information rather than assuming monitoring will produce an insurance saving.

Modern alarm systems can integrate with smart home technology. Receive alerts on your phone when sensors trigger. View camera feeds remotely. Arm and disarm from anywhere. Control lighting and simulate occupancy. These features add convenience while improving security.

Security Cameras

Cameras may provide useful footage, but results depend on placement, image quality, lighting, storage and lawful use. The Privacy Commissioner recommends considering lights and alarms first and avoiding unnecessary recording.

Camera Placement

Cover main entry points: front door, back door, and garage. Include driveway coverage to capture vehicle details. Position cameras high enough to prevent tampering but angled to capture faces, not just the tops of heads. Ensure adequate lighting for night recording, or use cameras with good low-light performance.

Storage choices have different security, access, subscription and outage risks. Protect accounts and recordings, and follow the Privacy Commissioner’s guidance not to keep footage longer than necessary or record continuously or from every angle without need.

Lighting and Visibility

Lighting around entry points may improve visibility. Position it to suit the property without creating glare or nuisance, and combine it with locks and routines rather than treating lighting as a guaranteed deterrent.

Maintain visibility around your property. Overgrown hedges and trees near windows provide concealment for forced entry attempts. Trim vegetation to eliminate hiding spots while maintaining privacy from casual observers. The goal is clear sightlines from the street and neighbours to potential entry points.

Extended absences require extra precautions. Stop mail and newspapers or have them collected. Use timers on lights and radios. Ask trusted neighbours to park in your driveway occasionally. Do not announce holiday plans on social media until you return.

Valuables and Documentation

Even with good security, theft can occur. Minimise potential loss by securing valuables and documenting possessions. A home safe protects important documents, jewellery, and small valuables from both theft and fire. Bolt safes to floors or walls to prevent removal.

Photograph valuable items and record serial numbers. Store this documentation securely, ideally in the cloud or off-site. This information proves invaluable for insurance claims and police reports. Update documentation when you acquire significant new items.

Insurance Benefits of Security

Insurers set their own security requirements, evidence standards and pricing. A lock, alarm or camera should not be assumed to qualify for a discount or save a particular amount.

Contact your insurer before installing a system. Ask whether any measure affects cover, excess, conditions or pricing, what specifications apply, and what evidence is required; no discount or claim outcome is guaranteed.

Building a Security Routine

The best security systems fail if not used. Develop habits that ensure consistent security. Lock doors whenever you leave, even briefly. Close and lock windows when rooms are unoccupied. Set the alarm when leaving and at night. Check that garage doors are closed.

Include family members in security routines. Ensure everyone knows how to operate the alarm system without triggering false alerts. Agree on procedures for key management. The most sophisticated security is worthless if children leave doors unlocked or share alarm codes with friends.

Review your security periodically. Check that locks and alarms function correctly. Ensure camera views remain unobstructed by plant growth. Update alarm codes if household circumstances change. Security is an ongoing practice, not a one-time installation.