3 surprising security risks to your home

You would like to believe that your home is secure, but there may be weak spots that make you susceptible to a break-in. Here are three surprising security dangers to your home that you need to address in order to keep your family safe and secure.

• Your home may be at risk if you fail to take measures to secure your garage door.
• If you have a home with an attached garage, burglars can gain access to the inside of your home through your garage door.
• Automatic universal garage door openers, available at most hardware and department stores, can be programmed to operate many brands of automatic garage door motors.
• In theory and in practice, burglars can roam a neighbourhood slowly and try the remote opener on all the doors on the street in the middle of the night.
• To prevent this problem, install a mechanical lock on the inside of your garage door that will be used when the entire family is in for the night or when you are away on vacation. Even if someone has an operational remote control, the door won't open.

• If you own a large breed of dog and have a doggy door installed, a burglar could make himself small enough to crawl in through the doggy door and gain access to your valuables.
• Most doggy doors have small locks, but these are easily breached by savvy burglars.
• To prevent a burglar from coming in through the doggy door, block it at night and when you are away from home.
• After-market doggy door attachments can be purchased that will fit all standard sizes of doors and affix securely to the opening to protect your home.

• If your house is located near a tall tree, a burglar could climb the tree and get into your attic through the vent.
• Attic vents are designed to allow plenty of air flow. Many are made with a centre axis, which allows the vent to spin in the middle when it's windy.
• Unfortunately, the open space leaves enough room for a burglar to gain access to your home.
• To keep your home safe, replace your revolving attic vent with a fixed vent with louvres that don't rotate.
• In addition, install metal netting to the inside that will not only prevent burglars from getting in, but will also deter pests from wandering into your attic.
• Finally, install a motion sensor near your attic vent that will alert you to unwanted activity.
• You invest time, money and thought into protecting your home and your valuables. Make sure you don't miss these surprising security threats in your home.