Does leaving the lights on protect your home from break-ins?

You are proactive about protecting your home from break-ins. You have dead bolts on all of your doors and windows. You might even have a burglar alarm system. But the question arises, is leaving the lights on at night a deterrent to keeping burglars away? According to a recent story on NPR, that all depends.

Indeed leaving your porch light on, especially if you are away from the house, is a good strategy, especially if your area has a good neighborhood watch. Some people will leave their interior lights on and even the TV to give the illusion that people are at home, causing a potential burglar to move on to a more tempting target.

On the other hand, a number of caveats have to be considered.

First, many burglars will try to gain entry through the back of the house, out of view of the street.

Second, some burglars will knock on the door to see if anyone is home. If you are there to answer, they will have some excuse to make before moving on. If you are not at home, they proceed with breaking into your home and ransacking your valuables.

Finally, most burglaries take place during the day when everyone is at work or school.

The bottom line is that leaving the porch lights and even the interior lights on is a good idea, as it will give you a slight edge in protecting your home from break-ins. But lights should complement sturdy deadbolts and an alarm system instead of being a substitute for them.

If you have any questions about making your home burglar safe or anything at all about home insurance, contact All City Agency, Inc. serving Hugo, MN