Protect your house or flat from intruders.

Our basic checklists on break-in protection show clearly where the weak points in your flat or house are. Each question that you answer with “no” indicates a weak point. For your own safety, you should make improvements in these areas as soon as possible. The more questions you answer with “no” the poorer the security in your own four walls.

Burglary protection starts at the property boundary

Security for your four walls begins as early as the property boundary, as even here it is possible for a potential burglar to identify whether your building’s lack of security will make their job easy. Our property checklist will help you to determine whether your property is inviting burglars to break in or is deterring them right from the property boundary!

• Have fences and walls been designed such that they do not present a climbing aid?
• Does the top edge of the fence or wall have additional security?
• Is the garden or courtyard door fitted with a secure lock which is also secured against being lifted out, and is placed high enough so that there is no contact surface for leverage tools (e.g. crowbars)?
• Has an intercom system been installed?
• Is there a line of sight between the house and visitors ringing at the garden or courtyard door?
• Are garden plants (particularly high bushes) far enough away from doors, stairs, and the ground floor and basement windows?
• Is the property sufficiently illuminated by an outside light?
• Is it only possible to switch off the outside light from inside?
• Are the cables for the outside light inaccessible?
• Above all, are the entrances to the house sufficiently well lit?
• Can the outside sockets be switched off from inside?
• Are the telephone lines laid underground or otherwise protected?
• Are potential climbing aids – such as ladders, barrels, etc. – locked away or chained up?
• Are outside taps secured against unauthorised use or turned off by an internal main tap?
• Are your bicycles also securely attached to your property?

Is your answer to all of these questions ‘yes’? Perfect!

Did you answer ‘no’ to one or more of these questions? In this case, carry out these relatively simple and mostly free measures to increase the security of your property as soon as possible. Then in the future you will be able to answer ‘yes’ to all of the 

Break-in protection checklist for houses and flats

1. Do your outside doors have security fittings with covered cylinders?
   Branded and certified security fittings provide a high level of protection against forced entry and intelligent break-in methods. In addition, security fittings that can be seen from a distance put off potential intruders.
    
2. Have you got a security card for the door cylinder of your front door?
   Replacement keys for door cylinders that have a security card can only be made if you present this card. This way you can be sure that there are no unauthorised copies of the key.
    
3. Are the fittings of outside doors secured with screws on the inside?
   Fittings that are secured with screws from the outside don't present an obstacle at all – they can simply be unscrewed.
    
4. Is the door cylinder flush with the fitting?
   Your insurance cover is jeopardised if the cylinder protrudes by even as little as 3 mm. Protruding door cylinders can simply be broken off.
    
5. Does your front door have an additional lock?
   A high-quality additional lock is a visible deterrent and provides for considerably higher stability thanks to the additional locking point.
    
6. Can you open the front door just a crack without unknown visitors being able to push the door wide open?
   A good additional door lock with a door limiter prevents direct access to your home when you open the door just a crack.
    
7. Does your door have a spy hole which lets you see the entire outside corridor and the lower part of the door?
   A good spy hole should enable you to see unwanted visitors immediately in an angle of approximately 200 degrees. This means that nobody can hide by crouching in front of the door.
    
8. Have you fitted additional window locks to protect your windows (apart from lockable window handles)?
   Most standard windows can be pried open with a normal screwdriver in just a few seconds. It's important to secure not only the lock side but also the hinge side. Lockable window handles serve merely to protect children from opening the windows.
    
9. Are your roof windows also equipped with additional security fittings?
   If your roof windows are not accessible, they don't need to be specially protected. But burglars get onto the roof easily with the help of climbing aids such as ladders or rubbish bins. Modern security fittings for roof windows provide the greatest protection here.
    
10. Are your roller shutters secured from the inside?
    Protecting privacy and keeping out the light is not enough. Only roller shutters with an additional lock are secured against being pushed up with force from outside.
     
11. Are your cellar and side doors protected with additional security fittings?
    Securing these entrances is often neglected which means that burglars can easily get access through them.
     
12. Are the gratings on the cellar shafts protected against being lifted up?
    Cellar shafts are popular ways to enter the building. Good security fittings effectively prevent the gratings from being lifted up.
     
13. Have you also secured your cellar windows?
    Depending on the type, the same applies here as with normal windows. Special cellar windows can also be secured at low cost with good padlocks.

ABUS products for increased security

ABUS window locks meet high security requirements and provide efficient protection against burglary. Design, colour variety and ease of use have also not been forgotten. more

ABUS offers a large selection of products for door security: mortise locks, reinforced bolts, intercom systems and many more. more