Summer is not only vacation time, but also burglary time. This is because burglars like to take advantage of homeowners’ absence to carry out their coups. However, mechanical and electronic measures can make life difficult for burglars. You can find out which burglary protection is particularly useful and effective during the vacation season in the article.
Doors broken open, cupboards and cupboards ransacked, furniture knocked over, jewelry or cash gone – if you find this scenario after returning from vacation or are informed of a break-in during your vacation, your rest and relaxation will be gone within seconds.
And it’s not that rare: Burglars – incidentally, almost 7,000 burglaries in houses and apartments were reported in 2024 – like to take advantage of the holiday-related absence of residents. But you can actively help to keep burglars away from your own four walls during the vacation period and beyond.
What burglary protection do the police recommend?
Experts such as the Police Advisory Service advise a combination of mechanical and electronic security measures to prevent unwanted guests from entering the house. High-quality locks, burglar-resistant doors, windows and patio doors as well as roller shutters are not impregnable, but it does take some work to open them.
The motto to keep burglars away while on vacation should therefore be: The more obstacles there are in their way, the harder it is for them to reach their destination – and the more likely they are not to try at all.
Neighborly help counts
Preventive measures to keep your home safe during the vacation period also include neighborly help: overflowing letterboxes, dried flowers or garbage cans left outside the house for a long time are a clear indication that the residents will be away for a long time. Therefore, ask neighbors, family members or friends to take care of things while you are away or hire a house sitter if necessary. You can rent a vacation mailbox for mail, and newspaper subscriptions can usually be suspended during your vacation.
In addition, clear away ladders, garbage cans and other objects that could be used as climbing aids. Tools and other objects that could be used for burglary should also not be left lying around unlocked either outside or in the garage.
And another tip from the experts for homeowners: it should be possible to switch off external sockets. Otherwise, burglars could possibly plug in a drill and drill open the patio door, for example.
Which burglary protection is right for my home?
In order to be able to implement the right security measures for your home, a weak point analysis should be carried out first. As a rule, windows and doors are the biggest weak points – the majority of burglars enter the house or apartment this way.
This also includes cellar shafts and doors that lead from the garage into the house. Uninvited guests can use these to get into the living areas unseen from a possibly poorly secured garage.
How can you secure doors?
The best preventive measure in the entrance area is the installation of tested, burglar-resistant door elements in accordance with Ö-Norm B5338 from Resistance Class (RC) 3 with multi-point locking and distance lock.
Another important factor for doors is the quality of the striking plate and its fastening: Accordingly, angle iron or strike plates made of chromium-nickel steel, installed using heavy-duty dowels in the frame or reinforced in the masonry, increase security.
If you want to reinforce existing doors, you can do this with multi-point locks with solid frames. The same applies to transom locks, which are fitted as additional locks on doors with load-bearing hinges. They are also offered – like rim locks – with a locking bar and then combine burglary and hold-up protection. These additional locks are mainly recommended for cellar doors. Cylinders should always be protected with a security fitting and only security cylinders that are resistant to drilling, relocking and tearing should be used.
According to the Police Advisory Service, entrance doors should be secured with two locks of different designs or a multi-point lock. Last but not least, the installation of an additional lock with a security bar by a specialist can considerably increase the resistance value of the door.
What burglary protection is available for windows?
There are also various options for eliminating windows as a weak point. Probably the best is the installation of burglar-resistant window elements, which offer a great deal of resistance thanks to mushroom-head fittings and twin bolt locks.
It is important that all components, i.e. Window frame, window, fittings, window handle and glass, one on top of the other are coordinated. For example, the window frames should be firmly screwed to the masonry and the windows should be made of burglar-resistant glass. Lockable window handles and additional fittings for older windows also increase security. Window grilles can be used as burglary protection for basement windows.
Are roller shutters burglary protection?
Burglar-resistant roller shutters are another measure to keep burglars at bay. Additional resistance to being pushed up is important here, but this is only provided if the roller shutters run in stable, firmly anchored guide rails and are secured by pins or locks in the upper third.
Despite the installation of tested burglar-resistant roller shutters, windows should not be left unsecured. Standard roller shutters can at least be secured against being pushed up with an additional security device.
Is light effective burglary protection?
According to the Police Advisory Service, anything that gives the impression that a house or apartment is occupied makes sense in terms of prevention. This is why good lighting – both indoors and outdoors – has a deterrent effect. It can be controlled indoors using timers with different switch-on times, while motion detectors are useful outdoors.
What technical security measures are there?
To increase security, it makes perfect sense to combine the mechanical security measures mentioned above with technical ones, specifically an alarm system (see https://myhome.at/mit-einer-alarmanlage-auf-nummer-sicher/). However, this should always be certified and installed by a specialist.
Are there subsidies for measures to secure my house and apartment?
The City of Vienna subsidizes the installation of a burglar-resistant entrance door in buildings, provided the building is at least 20 years old and the applicant is registered as living there. The subsidy amounts to a maximum of 400 euros per door leaf.
The invoice, proof of compliance with ÖNORM B 5338 or EN 1627 and resistance class 3 or 4 as well as the consent of the homeowner are required for the application. In Upper Austria, the installation of security doors of resistance class RC2 in buildings whose construction was approved at least 20 years ago is supported with a basic subsidy of a maximum of EUR 1,000 and, under certain circumstances, with an additional subsidy.
Further links:
https://www.land-oberoesterreich.gv.at/236160.htm
https://www.bundeskriminalamt.at/202/eigentum_schuetzen/start.aspx
Related posts:
Play it safe with an alarm system
Panic room: how to protect yourself and your family
