Spring Clean Your Security: What a Home Survey Can Reveal
A guide for homeowners in North London and the Home Counties
Spring is when most of us tackle the jobs we have been putting off. The gutters get cleared, the garden gets cut back, and the windows get a proper clean for the first time since October. But there is one part of your home that rarely makes the spring cleaning list, and it is arguably the one that matters most: your security.
At Armour Security, we have been carrying out home security surveys across North London and the Home Counties for over 38 years. In that time, we have walked around thousands of properties, and the same issues come up again and again. Not because homeowners are careless, but because security is one of those things that fades into the background when nothing has gone wrong.
The problem is that by the time something does go wrong, the damage is done.
A professional security survey is not a sales pitch. It is a trained pair of eyes walking around your property, inside and out, looking at it the way an opportunist would. And what it reveals is almost always more than the homeowner expected.
What we actually find
Every property is different, but certain issues come up with striking regularity.
Locks are the most common problem. Not broken locks, but outdated ones. If your front door lock is more than ten years old, there is a good chance it no longer meets BS 3621, the British Standard most home insurers require. More importantly, a competent burglar could likely defeat it in under a minute. The same applies to patio doors and side gates, which are frequently the weakest point of entry on a property.
Lighting is the next issue. A well-lit front of house is a deterrent. A dark side return or poorly lit rear garden is an invitation. Many homes have security lighting that was installed years ago and has either failed, shifted out of position, or been placed where it can be easily avoided.
Then there are the alarm systems. We regularly survey homes where the alarm has not been serviced in years, where sensors have been painted over during decorating, where zones have never been updated after a loft conversion or extension, or where the system was installed for a completely different layout and no longer covers the areas it should. A system that gives you the impression of protection without actually providing it is worse than no system at all, because it stops you from asking the question.
CCTV is increasingly common in residential properties, but poorly planned CCTV is equally common. Cameras positioned too high to capture a usable image of a face. Cameras pointing at a neighbour’s property in a way that could breach privacy guidelines. Systems with recording storage that has been full for months without anyone realising. A professional survey assesses not just whether you have cameras, but whether they are actually doing what you think they are doing.
Finally, gardens and boundaries. Overgrown hedges provide cover. Low fences provide easy access. Bins and recycling boxes left against walls provide a step up to first-floor windows. These are not sophisticated vulnerabilities. They are the kind of thing that a surveyor spots in thirty seconds but a homeowner walks past every day without a second thought.
Why spring?
Longer days mean open windows, unlocked back doors, and more time spent away from home. It is also the time of year when opportunistic burglary tends to increase. A survey carried out now gives you time to address any issues before the summer months, when the risk is typically at its highest.
What a survey involves
An Armour Security survey is carried out by one of our experienced engineers, not a salesperson. It covers the full perimeter of your property, all entry points, your existing alarm and CCTV systems if fitted, lighting, locks, and any environmental factors that could affect your home’s security.
You will receive an honest assessment of where your property stands, what needs attention, and what the options are. If your current setup is working well, we will tell you. If it needs upgrading, we will explain why and give you a clear idea of cost. There is no obligation and no pressure.
Insurance and accreditation
We are NSI Gold approved, the highest standard of accreditation for security installers in the UK. Our work is independently inspected, our engineers are vetted, and our monitoring services meet the standards required by police and insurers. For homeowners, this also means that alarm systems installed and maintained by an NSI Gold company may qualify for reduced insurance premiums. It is worth checking with your insurer.
On the subject of insurance: many home policies stipulate that locks and alarm systems must meet specific standards. If they do not, a claim following a break-in can be reduced or rejected entirely. A survey will identify whether your current setup meets your insurer’s requirements before you ever need to find out the hard way.
Book your free survey
If your home security has not been reviewed in the last couple of years, or if it has never been professionally surveyed at all, spring is a good time to fix that. Our surveys are free, there is no obligation, and you will walk away with a clear picture of where you stand.
Call us on 020 8364 1717 or book online at armour-security.co.uk/contact.