How To Keep Your Home Office Secure
Installing a garden office into the home is becoming increasingly popular for those looking for a home workplace. Whilst installing a home office may be something you are interested in, you cannot overlook the importance of keeping your home office secure.
Here at ATT Fabrications, we’re offering you our top tips on how to keep your home office secure.
Table of contents
Secure valuables
Working from home means that you are going to have valuables stored in your office.
Keeping your valuables out of sight is the first step to securing them. Burglars often look inside properties to see if there is anything of value to steal. To prevent intruders from seeing inside your property, installing full-length curtains or blinds on windows and glass doors will keep your valuables out of sight.
Installing doors without windows is also a great option to prevent intruders from looking into your garden office. Whilst this will prevent your valuables from being seen, natural light may be highly reduced, resulting in the need for more indoor lighting. A security safe is a great investment to place in your home office or home to keep items locked away.
Another way to protect your valuables is to lock your doors and windows. Locked doors and windows make it harder for intruders to break in and steal your possessions. If you leave your windows and doors unlocked, you may not be covered by insurance if any items are stolen.
Add security measures
Security alarms
Adding an alarm will provide an extra layer of security to your home office. Security alarms can be placed almost anywhere, with various sensors available to install inside your office. Wired security or burglar alarms will trigger an alarm that scares off potential intruders and immediately makes you aware of the situation. A silent alarm system is also a good alternative to add to your home. Silent alarms will alert a security company or the police as soon as the alarm has been triggered.
Security cameras
Installing a CCTV system in your home can provide you with constant surveillance of your office to ward off intruders. Your office will be protected when you aren’t at home, as the system provides audio and video footage in real-time, sent straight to your smartphone. CCTV is a useful addition, especially if your office is out of sight from your home.
Motion sensor lights
Intruders often break into homes in the dark as visibility minimises, making it easier for them not to be seen. To combat this, adding motion sensor lighting may be your next step to securing your home office. Infrared technology will detect large bodies of heat, triggering the motion sensors. Intruders hate attention, so a bright light in pitch black will scare them away.
Strong structure
Keeping your house structurally strong is a simple but effective way to prevent your office from being broken. High-quality doors and windows with multi-point locking systems are highly recommended, providing better security to your home office and making it difficult for intruders to break into.
Double or triple-glazed windows will make it harder for intruders to break, slowing them down and providing you enough time to call the police.
Installing doors that open inwards can prevent the hinges from being vandalised, reducing the risk of the door being taken out of the structure to provide easy access.
Keeping your office in view of the house where possible is also recommended, as it allows you to keep an eye out for any potential intruders.
Strategic gardening
Strategic gardening is a more practical measure for keeping your home office secure. Installing fences with spiked tops or thorny bushes around the perimeter will prevent intruders from easily making their way onto your property. Looking at your home from a burglar’s perspective will help you to identify any areas to improve to prevent your office from being broken into.
Install tall fences or hedges as a barrier around your home office to prevent intruders from being able to get to it. There is still the potential for intruders to use these barriers as screens, giving them more opportunity to break into your home office, but your office will feel more secure. Alternatively, keep low hedges and fences in your garden to give you a better view of your office.
Insurance for a home office
Insurance for a garden room in the UK is not a legal requirement; however it is highly recommended. Opting for insurance covering the building and its contents will protect you against any theft or structural damage. It is best to check your home insurance policy to see if garden rooms are covered.
What will affect garden room insurance?
Most insurance companies will expect you to have installed the appropriate security measures in your home office before they insure you. These measures may include locks, cameras or alarms. If your home office were to be broken into whilst unlocked or unattended, insurance companies would see you at fault and would not compensate for any stolen items or damage.
Garden offices are a fantastic place to work from home, helping you become more productive and motivated. Working from home offers a greater work-life balance and can help you save money by reducing your commute.
If you are considering building a garden office to work from home, following the security tips from this guide will help you keep your belongings secure and minimise the risk of being robbed.
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