How to stop burglars breaking into sheds and outbuildings
If you are concerned about the security of your home or business premises, it is all too easy to focus entirely on the main building and forget about sheds, garages and other outbuildings.
But doing so can be a costly mistake. Many people store valuable equipment in outbuildings, items with no obvious home in the main part of the premises: motorbikes and other vehicles, fuel, stock of various kinds, items in storage. Some of this may be very attractive to opportunist thieves.
Here are a few straightforward measures you can take to discourage break-ins:
Examine the sheds or outbuildings carefully
How secure are the locks and windows? If you have a burglar alarm installed in the main premises, extend this to your outbuilding.
Maintain your grounds
Keep your garden or grounds in good order so thieves have fewer opportunities to hide behind overgrown bushes or trees.
Secure side gates
Make it harder for thieves to creep around in the first place by making sure any side gates are properly locked and secured.
Use security lighting
Motion-triggered security lightning can be enough to scare off opportunist thieves.
Check your fencing
If you have fencing installed, check to ensure it is also secure and consider the types of plants that grow around the fence: something with thorns or a strong odour could be an effective deterrent.
Mark your property
Make sure any valuable property installed in your outbuildings is properly recorded and marked: this will make it much easier to prove ownership in the event of a burglary.
Lock up your ladders
Don’t make life easier for burglars by leaving ladders lying around: if it is too large to store indoors, secure it with a lock.
Ensure insurance is in place
Finally, don’t forget to check your insurance documents to ensure your policy covers the contents of garages and outbuildings.