The best ways to protect your new home or rental

Did you know that spring and early summer is the time of year that people are most likely to move or sell their homes?Or maybe you have recently bought a new rental property and are looking to secure it? Ensuring that your new place is as safe as possible for your family, or future renters is extremely important!

Home safety is a topic that is a concern to most of us, but one we often don’t put much thought into. Thankfully, you don’t have to worry about the safety of your new home any longer! We have created a list of helpful security tips for all new homeowners to ensure that you have everything you need to keep the people and the things you love most safe and protected.

1. Upgrade the locks on your new house

What's the most important first step for anyone moving house? Changing the locks! Previous owners may have given any number of spare keys to anyone they felt needed access. So you might have no idea who has keys to your home once you’ve taken over the property. Changing your locks can be a time consuming but important endeavour, so why not use this change as an opportunity to upgrade to a smart lock?

The Linus^® Smart Lock provides features like virtual keys and auto-locking and unlocking, Opening up a world of possibilities tothe entire family. Granting them more freedom, while also offering your new home a greater level of security as you can check the lock status of your door from anywhere using the Yale Access app. Putting you in control of your home access by ensuring onlytrusted individuals can enter your home, using virtual keys on their phone or code on the Yale Smart Keypad.

2. Smart lighting can save you money and make you feel safer

Is there anything more annoying than standing on a dark doorstep searching for a set of keys that have fallen to the bottom of your bag? Give yourself a safer, warmer welcome home by combining Linus^® with your Philips Hue smart lighting to program your lights to switch on the moment you unlock your door.

Impress new neighbours and guests arriving to see your new home with your brighter, automated home entrance and a door that opens when it senses you near! Smart lighting can also be programmed to switch on and off at times that you determine, to fool any onlookers into thinking you are home for added levels of home security.

When you first move into a new house, you might occasionally forget to turn off some lights, wracking up a hefty electricity bill. With Linus^®, a cost-saving solution is simple! Automate your lights to switch off the moment you leave and lock the door with Linus^® thanks to its integration with Philips Hue smart lighting. Handy for both saving you money and also removing a task from your checklist whenever you leave the house!

Smart lighting integrations with Linus^®  are also perfect for holiday rentals as you can automate your lights to turn on once the door is unlocked to make your guests feel welcome. Looking to leave an impression on your guests? Let them set the mood for their stay by allowing them to control the colour and brightness of the smart lights using the Philips Hue app. Allowing them to create their perfect holiday from calming atmospheres to romantic mood lighting, your home will be the perfect oasis for any visit!

3. Keep your doors locked at all times

Did you know that it's important to keep your doors locked at all times, even when you are home? This is the quickest and safest way to ensure the safety of your family.

The Linus^® Smart Lock allows you to set timers for when you want your doors to be locked. Linus^® is easily controlled via voice command using leading voice assistants like Alexa, HomeKit, and Google Assistant. Enabled by voice assistants, the Goodnight Linus^® feature will lock your door at specific times of the night of your choosing. Granting you the ability to control the lock status of your door without ever needing to get up from your couch!

4. Don’t leave keys lying around

We’ve all been guilty of coming home from a busy day and thoughtlessly leaving our keys on the first surface we can find once we enter. But leaving your keys in reach of windows, doors, or out in the open can pose a significant security risk, making your house easier to break into and valuable belongings like cars easier to steal. Keeping your keys in a secure location is a simple way to counteract this, but wouldn’t it be even easier if you didn’t have any keys to worry about?

With a Linus^® Smart Lock, you can ditch your keys and never have to worry about where you left them. Linus^® will lock your door for you when you leave and open it automatically once it senses you near. All you need is your smartphone or the Yale Smart Keypad to open your door! Granting you easier, hands-free access to your home without the need to root around for keys.

Linus^® is also perfect for managing rental properties as it eliminates the risks multiple sets of keys pose to your property. Linus^® grants you the ability to send virtual keys to trusted individuals to allow them entry into your homes. Letting them enter the house directly the moment they arrive, without having to search for a lockbox to find any keys. When renting out a property to a guest, you can simply cancel their key once their stay is over. Giving you peace of mind, knowing how safe and simple managing your property has become.

5. Invest in a quality home alarm system

Buying a new home is the perfect time to think about your home security. Why not take this opportunity to upgrade your home security to a smart alarm!

The Sync Smart Home Alarm is easy to install and is fully controllable through the Yale Home app. The Sync Alarm can be paired with up to 40 accessories, allowing you to create your own customised home security system. 

For further protection, you can integrate Yale Smart Cameras with the Sync Alarm system. Yale Outdoor Smart Cameras can be programmed to watch specific areas surrounding your home or rental property, like gardens, driveways, and outdoor buildings. Indoor cameras can alsobe added to provide an added level of security, all with no monthly fees.

6. Keep outdoor buildings safe with a padlock

Have you checked to see that any outdoor buildings, like sheds or outbuildings that might have come with your new home are secure?

Our range of standard, high, and maximum security Yale padlocks will help to keep your belongings safe and feature varying levels of security ranking to suit your specific needs. Yale high-security padlocks are also weatherproof and are prepared to withstand any weather. So come rain or shine you can know that any of your garden structures are locked up tightly.

7. Store any valuable items in a safe

The last thing you want after the stress of moving into a new home is to attract the attention of unwanted guests by leaving valuable items lying around in plain sight. An easy way to keep your home and its contents safe is by storing any valuable items in a safe.

The Yale safe range comes with a variety of different security features to suit your needs. You can easily open your safe with the option of keys, fingerprint, or pin code access depending on the level of protection you require. Storing and displaying your prized possessions has never been easier thanks to the hooks, lighting, and shelving options available. Perfect for holding jewellery or important documents!

These simple tips combined with our range of home security products will help you to better secure your new property. Allowing you the freedom to fully enjoy your new space and all it has to offer while also helping to ease some of the burdens that come with being a new homeowner.