We’ve attended a few houses in Melbourne in the last week that have been burgled where the criminals used the same MO to gain entry to the property.

1. Ring the doorbell to see if someone is home.
2. If there is someone home, ask is “Bill Johnson” lives here… which he won’t… apologize and leave.
3. If no answer go around the back, and kick the back door in.

A solid back door, deadbolted and locked is only as strong as the hinges and frames its connected too.  There are many weak points in a door that usually give after a few well placed kicks.

The crims are targeting houses on busy roads that provide them with easy access to the houses, plus an amount of cover from the noise.  Kicks are likely timed with trams or trucks going past.  All the houses targeted were “renovator’s dreams” either in need of renovation, or where renovation had already commenced.

A security door from Bulleen Screens would have saved the day in all these cases.  They are almost impossible to kick in… but as well as providing a physical deterrent, they provide a mental one.  No one likes to try and kick a security door in when they can instead go next door.

Is your house a “renovators dream”?  Think the lack of polish means your house is not a target?  Think again.  Renovators dream houses often contain renovators… renovators often have expensive tools… or expensive electrical toys regardless that the house itself is in need of some TLC.

Our advice when you are renovating is to start with the front and read entrances.

1. Replace rotting door frame timbers to ensure the door frame is securely attached to the house.
2. Replace all locks and deadlocks.  Who knows who still has a set of keys to your house?
3. Install security doors front and back.  Whilst you are renovating…. Your house will show obvious signs of it.  A skip out the front, tradesmen coming and going.  It’s like putting up a sign saying “People with enough money to renovate live here, and security is not yet in place”.
4. Secure all windows.  Window bolts first, but then consider security window screens.  We understand during the renovation process you may in fact be considering moving some windows so make your window moving decisions first… but don’t wait till the last moment to install window security screens.

So if you have started a renovator’s dream project in Melbourne, give us a call and one of our agents can pop over, give your places the once over and make some recommendations on your security screen options.