As the ‘customer service representative’ ran through the standard questions to assess how much my yearly home insurance premium should be, she asked me, “Do you have a home alarm system?”

I explained to her our situation and that we were looking into the best way to secure our home and she informed me that all insurance companies will give lower premiums to those with home alarm systems.

The more preventative measures you’ve taken to protect your home from theft, the cheaper your home insurance will be. So, it turns out getting our house fully installed with a wireless alarm systems and new locks are more affordable than I thought!

If you’ve recently put in a home security system and haven’t called your insurance company – do so today! You could seriously be paying less money every year.

1. Keys
When you first move into a sharehouse, find out about the key situation. If the landlord hasn’t had the locks changed in many years, and doesn’t ask for the keys back, there is potential that someone still has them and could enter your house at any time.

2. Inside Lighting
The student lifestyle and partying goes hand in hand. If its going to be a big weekend for and your flatmates and you planning to be out all night, it doesn’t hurt to leave one light on to give people walking by the impression that someone is home.

3. Outside Lighting
Ask your landlord to install sensors on your outdoor lighting. This will make it safer for you if you are coming home late at night, as well as deter burglars.

4. Do your share of the chores
Things like checking the mailbox everyday, taking out the rubbish, taking the rubbish bins back in, and gardening aren’t the funniest of chores, but if you’re living with others make sure it gets done. An overflowing letterbox next to a rubbish can that’s still on the street three days after rubbish collection day on a front garden over-run with weeds is a sure-fire way to tell burglars there’s no one home.

5. Don’t show off your valuables
Once you get to know and trust your new flatmates, you might be a little tardy with leaving your stuff lying around – don’t. As nice as your new flatmates might be, you never know who they might bring over or if they’ve got a couple undesirable acquaintances who might see your new ipod sitting on your bed and just pinch it. Tuck away valuables in a draw every time you leave the house so they’re not visible from inside or outside the house.

1. Gardening
Shrubs and bushes right next to windows and doors can be a good hiding spot for a burglar. The home security tip here is to keep your plants low around these areas. A rose bush full of thorns under a window is a way to make it harder for a potential thief to use it as a way of entry.

2. Adjust your outdoor lighting
Check to make sure all your outdoor lights are in working condition. Position them so they light up the areas that a burglar could enter your home from. If you flood your outside doorways, windows and any dark corners with lights you’ll leave nowhere for a burglar to hide and your home will be more secure.

3. Does your house stand out to much?
Having different home exteriors is great – but make sure your house doesn’t look like it’s the most expensive on the street. If your house is the only one with complete landscaping, elaborate fencing and so on it will look like you’re the best house to target on your street. Go for a walk in your neighbourhood and have a look fencing, landscaping and driveways and letterboxes of the the other houses and think about what signal your house is sending out to strangers.

4. Your blinds and curtains are there for a reason – use them!
When it’s night time, can people see into your home? When its dark outside and you’ve got the inside lights on you often can’t see out your windows well – but the outside can see in. Secure your home by drawing the curtains and blinds as soon as it starts to get dark.

5. Introduce yourself to the neighbours!
Your neighbours can be your best prevention against home invasion! Introducing yourself and making yourself known means your neighbours know who should be loitering around your house – and who shouldn’t! Let them know if you ever see something unusual happening around your house and they’ll be likely to return the favour. They’ll also be more likely to do things like collect your mail and keep an eye out when you go on vacation.

Got anymore free tips for making your home more secure?

I’ve looked into plenty of home security options – like home intruder alarms, wireless alarm systems, security cameras… and I’ve even had a consultation with a local company about what measures they’d recommend to secure our home.

I don’t want to get the wrong home alarm system, or get talked into spending too much by a ‘smooth operator’ with fear tactics. These things can be pretty costly, so basically I want to make the right decision.

Every week I’m going to look into different types of home security and post it up here for other home owners in the same boat in the hope that home security will make a lot more sense to me – and hopefully you too!

Have you got a home security system? Please let me know your stories – both good and bad – to help me make an informed decision!