How To Keep Your Garden and Shed Safe when Unoccupied

Aug 12, 2016Unoccupied Property Insurance

Most homeowners spend a lot of time working on their garden. You might have some trees, bushes, some carefully-planned floral arrangements and might even use your garden to grow your own vegetables. You probably use a garden shed to store your equipment and the tools you purchased over the years to work on your garden. But did you know that almost a quarter of all homeowners do not secure their garden shed?

Tools are valuable and burglars might try to steal them. A poorly-secured shed is also an issue because vandals might damage your equipment, ruin your garden or worse, gain access to your home. You can make your home safer by taking the following safety measures:

– Purchase some strong padlocks for your garden shed and your gate doors. Always lock the shed when you are done using it and double-check that the shed is locked when you leave your home. Keep the key on you or in a safe storage space.

– You can keep burglars away by planting a privacy hedge or some thorny bushes around your garden. Blue spruce bushes, juniper, firethorn and blackthorn are good options.

– Motion-sensor security lights are a great investment. Install these lights behind your home and on your shed. This is a good way to deter burglars and animals.

– Get in the habit of putting your power tools, grill and other valuable items in the shed as soon as you are done using them.

– Inspect your shed regularly and maintain it as needed so that weather cannot cause damages and so that no one can easily access the shed due to damages.

Make Things Harder For Thieves

You can make it difficult for burglars to get into your garden and steal things:

– Keep your tools in the shed and lock the ladders inside the shed as well suggest South West Greenhouses. Burglars will probably see these items as valuable or might be able to use them to gain access to your home.

– You should only have low shrubs or low walls around your home. This will allow you to keep an eye on what is going on outside and no one will be able to approach your property without being seen.

– Add some trellis to the top of your fence. This will boost the curb appeal of your home and will make climbing the fence more difficult.

– You don’t need barbed wire to keep burglars out. Add some prickly plants such as firethorn or roses around your garden.

– Gravel paths are noisy and will make approaching your shed or home quietly very difficult. Add some security lighting as well.