There are many ways burglars can gain access to a home, but the five most common entry points may very well be the places that homeowners believe their security is the tightest. As a locksmith in Fort Lauderdale, we've seen this time and time again: Homeowners lock their doors and windows as they should, only to return home to find that they have been the victims of a burglary. Below you will find what we know to be the most common ways burglars enter your home, based on our experience as a locksmith in Ft. Lauderdale.

The Front Door

Although coming in through the front door may seem like a brazen move for an intruder, it is the most common entry used by burglars. An unlocked door, a compromised lock, or a weak locking mechanism is all it takes for a burglar to welcome themselves right into your home. Another costly mistake some homeowners make is hiding a spare key. Experienced burglars know every hiding spot, even ones that are particularly clever. Never hide a key on your property. Instead, have a trusted neighbor hold a spare key for you, in the event you should ever experience a lockout.

The Back Door

Your back door may be appealing to burglars for many different reasons. For starters, many people forget to lock their back doors when leaving the house, plain and simple. Burglars find that most backyards are designed to offer complete privacy, and this unfortunately benefits them as well. One thing that appeals to burglars is that many back doors have a window set into them. While homeowners may enjoy the view to the outside, burglars love the view to the inside. They use this as a vantage point to see if anyone is still in the home, as well as an entry point. Many burglars break the window, reach in, unlock the door and immediately gain access to your home.

Garage

Many times homeowners get into their vehicle, lower their garage door and drive away without giving a thought to whether or not their garage door is locked in place, or whether or not the door to the interior of their home is locked. Just because your garage door is down does not mean that it is secure. Thieves can still gain access to your garage where they often discover that the door to the interior of the home is left unlocked. They now have access straight into your home, and they are completely hidden from the street while coming in from a closed garage.

Windows

An unlocked window is a window of opportunity for a burglar. Windows that are locked can even become an entrance if the locks are old and worn, or not secure enough.

Sliding Glass Doors

Sliding glass doors are a prime entry point for many burglars. The most common reason for this is that many sliding doors can be lifted out of their tracks. As soon as the door is removed from the frame, thieves have a wide-open space in which they can use to remove items from your home.

Accredited Lock and Hardware advises homeowners to have inspections done on their home, where our professional locksmith in Fort Lauderdale can assess the home and identify weak and vulnerable areas. When it comes to preventing lockouts in Fort Lauderdale, we advise homeowners to never hide keys in an attempt to avoid being locked out of their home. An intruder will most likely find these keys, where the damage they can do may far exceed the cost of hiring a locksmith in the event of a lockout.