Shed some light on security

The garden shed may not be your favourite room (or perhaps for some men it is!) but the value of the goods you have in it and your garage, or any other outbuildings, means they definitely deserve some care and attention.

Garden sheds are generally made from soft wood, which is more susceptible to rot when wet than hard wood. You should therefore treat it with a preservative when new and on an annual basis.

Check for any rips or tears in the felt on the roof and replace it if necessary. Fill in any cracks and holes to keep rodents and other pests out, and ensure the putty or sealant around the window is in good condition. This goes for garages, barns and any other outbuildings you may have – all of which could become a home for anything from cockroaches to rats.

Keep it clean
Looking after your outbuildings will help prevent any pests taking up permanent residence, as well as making it easier to spot leaks, damp patches and other potential problems. It’s likely that you store hazardous materials such as oil, antifreeze and weed killer in these places, so it’s vital to ensure that everything is well-organised.

Clear out guttering and downpipes as part of a regular maintenance programme, and repair any broken brickwork or plastering.

Lock, stock and barrel
Sheds and garages are popular targets for thieves due to their rich pickings and low-level resistance. Attach a closed-shackle padlock to the door of your shed. Screws in the hinges can be smeared with glue to prevent them from being removed, or use clutch-head and coffin screws, which are specially designed not to be unscrewed.

Up-and-over garage doors can be secured by putting padlocks through the inside runners or by fitting padlocks with a hasp and staple on either side of the door. Add grilles or mesh and a lock onto the windows of your outbuildings and consider investing in alarms. Low-energy dusk-to-dawn security lighting is environmentally friendly, cheap to run and off-putting. Take out home insurance with Privilege, and your outbuildings will be covered against fire, theft and damage along with your house.

Lines of defence
Use your garden to reinforce your security measures. Grow prickly plants around your shed and garage, as well as close to vulnerable areas – windows, walls and drainpipes. Cut back high hedges if they are obscuring the view of your front door from the street so burglars can’t easily hang around and tamper with it, unseen. Build strong fences and walls for the rear of your garden, which, if kept in good repair, will make an excellent deterrent to opportunists.

Out of sight
Ideally you shouldn’t keep anything too valuable in outbuildings but it’s not always possible to do otherwise, so you need to make your property as safe and secure as possible. Bikes should be chained up to each other, or to a hefty immovable object. Security-mark all your valuables with your house number and postcode, in order that they can be identified if they are stolen. Tools need to be chained up or contained in a lockable box.

Ladders should be locked to a secure fixture, so they cannot be taken out and used to reach the top floor windows of your house. Bear in mind that by doing all you can to stop items from your outbuildings being tampered with or stolen, you are also preventing a burglar from using them to break into your home.

Take out Privilege home insurance and your outbuildings will be covered against fire, theft and damage along with your house buildings and contents. You can get a quote and buy your home insurance online from this website.

With access to all these benefits, why not get a Privilege Home Insurance quote from us today?