Your home should be a safe space to rest your head at the end of the day. You’ve filled it with loved ones and carefully-chosen items that are important to you. Unfortunately, burglars can interrupt this peace. They invade homes, steal valuable items and compromise your safety.
While we want to see the good in people, there are precautions you can take to ward off the bad eggs. To help, here are some home security statistics and home security tips for maintaining your safe haven.
Home Security Statistics
To get a better understanding of home security in Canada, we gathered interesting home security statistics compiled from home security firms.
- A residential break-in occurs every 90 seconds in Canada. (SGI Canada)
- More than 80% of break-ins occur in the daylight. (SGI Canada)
- Most burglars enter through a ground floor or basement door or window. (SGI Canada)
- Twenty-seven percent of Canadians depend on a loud or large dog to prevent break-ins. (AlarmForce Industries)
- Sixteen percent of Canadians rely on a baseball bat or golf club to take on break-ins. (AlarmForce Industries)
- In 2018, around 12% of all Canadian households utilized smart home security cameras. (Statista)
- In 2019, 51% of renters reported not having home security. In comparison, 31% of homeowners reported not having home security. (Statista)
- More than two-thirds of Canadians believe having home security increases their home’s value. (AlarmForce Industries)
- The Smart Home segment Security in Canada is expected to have $598 million CAD ($472.8 million USD) in revenue in 2025. (Statista)
Home Security Interest by Province
Throughout 2020, people searched for the term “home security” an average of 3,800 times per month in Canada. Google Trends reveals that in 2020, a majority of those searches were coming from Alberta.
The second most interested province was Ontario. Nova Scotia, Manitoba and British Columbia all have a similar amount of queries, which indicates that they have a similar concern about home security. Quebec has the least amount of searches for “home security.”
32 Home Security Tips
No matter which province you call home, there are safety precautions you can take to prevent a break-in.
Secure Doors and Windows
Most often, burglars enter the home through the doors or windows. The first way to prevent this is by locking your doors and windows. This might seem obvious, but thieves view an open or unlocked window or door as an invitation.
You can also add layers of protection to these entry points. Here are some additional home security tips for securing doors and windows:
- Install a deadbolt on the front door for more security. If you’re renting, ask the landlord to install one.
- Be sure to secure your door’s strike plate with at least 2.5 centimetre long screws. You may also choose to invest in a reinforced strike plate, as this is the weakest part of the door.
- Put a wooden dowel in the track of your window or sliding glass door. If a burglar gets past the lock, the window won’t be able to slide open.
- If you are especially concerned with protecting your city dwelling, install burglar bars on your doors or windows.
- Change the locks when you first move into a home. Previous owners and their acquaintances could still have access. If you move to a new rental, request a new front door lock and keys.
- For extra protection, you can install window sensors. These will alert you when windows are opened and closed.
If you’re renting or in a pinch on the road, Boris Milinkovich, owner and training director at True North Tradecraft, suggests using a broken fork to secure the door. Milinkovich says, “I’ve used this trick when travelling for work and staying at hotels.” It’s a great option for renters who don’t have permission to permanently alter the lock. Check out this video to learn exactly how to make a fork door lock.
Don’t Forget About the Garage
When you’re considering the doors as an entry point, don’t discount your garage door. The garage can often hold valuable items you’ll want to keep safe. Even if your holiday decorations and old kids’ toys aren’t valuable enough to steal, the garage is still an entry point to the home, which will have more valuable belongings.
Here are some additional tips for securing the garage:
- Don’t leave your garage door opener visible in a car in the driveway.
- Cut the emergency cord on your garage door opener to prevent an easy break-in.
- Keep the door in your home that connects to your garage locked.
- If you have a service door (a door on the side of your garage that leads outside) be sure it has a deadbolt. This door is hidden from the street and can be an easy point of entry.
Make Your Home Appear Occupied
Burglars know they’ll run into trouble if someone is home when they try to break in. Make it appear like you’re home even when you’re away.
Allan Baum, founder of Protection Plus, suggests using a dog food bowl as a decoy. Baum explains, “Whether you have a dog or not, leave any empty bowl outside your back door. A few dog toys would also help — nothing like Rover to keep the burglars away.”
Some additional tricks for making burglars think you’re at home include:
- Keep your home well lit. Invest in outdoor lighting and keep lights inside on.
- To save energy, put your lighting on a timer.
- Try leaving a speaker or television on when you’re away. You can use timers for these as well.
- Don’t leave packages on the porch or mail in the mailbox for more than a few days. This is a clear sign that you’re not home.
Keep Expensive Items Hidden
If it’s clear from the outside that you have expensive items, a burglar will be more likely to risk a break-in. Investing in privacy will keep wandering eyes from landing on your home.
Here are some home security tips to improve the privacy of your home:
- Invest in curtains and keep them closed when you’re away.
- Be especially aware of what’s visible from the outside of your window. Do you have expensive electronics showing? You may want to consider repositioning them.
- Try adding window film to your windows so no one can peek inside.
- Shut all your blinds at night. With lights on inside, it’s easy for someone to spy on you while staying hidden in the dark of the night.
Be Aware of Your Yard
Your yard could be the perfect hiding spot for burglars, out of view from any passersby who could catch them. Be sure that you take care of your landscaping so that there’s plenty of visibility from the street.
Some home security tips for landscaping include:
- Trim trees and bushes that are close to your home. Overgrown shrubbery can serve as a handy place to hide.
- Put away any ladders or stools after you use them in the yard.
- Light any dark corners of your yard. You can also install motion sensor lights.
Rely on Your Neighbours
While security systems can help, the best response team is living right next to you. Take advantage of friendly neighbours by using them as part of your security.
- When you move to a new home, be sure to meet your neighbours. If they know you, they will be more likely to notice if someone unfamiliar is trying to break in.
- If you’re going on vacation, ask your neighbours to take your trash cans to the curb and bring them back in. This will give the appearance of someone being home.
- Ask trustworthy neighbours to collect your mail and water your plants when you’re on vacation. These small acts will make it look like someone lives there.
- Join a neighbourhood watch program. You can find these groups on specific apps, online forums or social media. If your neighbourhood doesn’t have one, create a group and invite all the neighbours. Post any disturbances that happen so that the neighbourhood is aware and prepared for theft.
- If you’re part of a neighbourhood watch program, consider advertising it with a sticker on your window. This may deter amateur criminals.
Consider a Smart Security System
Last but not least, you can invest in a home security system to protect your home. Home security systems range from simple alarms to advanced smart home security that allows you to control the alarm and cameras from your smartphone.
While the threat of these alarm systems may deter a burglar, they aren’t always the most effective. According to economics professor Simon Hakim, police response time to home security systems is typically between one and four hours. Unfortunately, this is plenty of time for the criminal to escape with your belongings.
Be sure you’ve secured your home with the above tips before spending on this expensive technology. If you do decide an alarm system is worth the money, here are some tips for making it effective:
- Before investing in a high-tech security system, be aware of the upfront and monthly costs.
- Be sure your wi-fi is secure. Hackers can use your internet to hack into your smart alarm system and disarm it.
- If you have an alarm system, remember to engage the alarm when you leave home.
- Get the alarm system fixed if it’s broken. If the alarm has gone off multiple times, be sure your neighbours know you’ve fixed it. Neglecting to do this will lead to a “boy who cried wolf” situation — your neighbours will ignore the alarm when someone actually breaks in.
- Add a security sign and security stickers to your property. Whether you have an alarm system or not, security signs may deter potential intruders.
- Conceal any wiring that can be easily cut.
When deciding on a security camera for your home, you might want to consider indoor cameras as well. Anas Mustafa, CEO of Canadian Security Professionals, explains, “When considering a home security system with cameras, most people believe outdoor cameras are important but don’t think about getting an indoor camera. An indoor camera can be more beneficial in many ways as it gives you the ability to see what’s happening inside your home if you have a break-in.”
Fit Home Security to Your Situation
There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to home security. The security precautions you take will depend on a number of things, including your neighbourhood crime levels, type of home and overall feeling of safety. While you can’t always prevent a break-in, these tips and tricks can prevent your home from being an easy target.
Check out the Zolo blog for more articles on preparing your home for unexpected threats.
