Many people are professional landlords, but some of us happen upon it when we decide to rent out a home or condo. Help protect yourself and potential tenants by following these tips for being a landlord:

• Provide security: Make sure that windows, doors and all locks work properly. Ask tenants to alert you to any malfunctions in order to help protect them and your property. Consider installing a home alarm system if you don’t already have one at the location.

• Consult laws and procedures: Ask interested parties to fill out formal housing applications. Get tenants to sign a contract before moving in and make sure that you understand their and your responsibilities for keeping up the property.

• Check backgrounds: Conduct background and credit checks on anyone before you let them sign a lease and move in. It’s OK to collect a fee from applicants to cover this expense.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, as many as nine millions Americans’ identities are stolen each year. Identity theft can happen in a number of ways, and can hurt your credit report and score. The trail an identity thief leaves behind can be messy and lead to a complicated process of clearing it up.

Help protect your identity and improve  home security while you’re gone on vacation this year with these three easy tips:

1. Put a hold on newspaper and mail delivery: People often arrange for friends or family members to pick up mail periodically when they’re away, but if someone is watching your home they may notice that you’re not getting your mail and realize you’re away from home.
2. Notify your home security company: Utilize the service for which you’re paying and let your home alarm system provider like ADT know that you’ll be away so they’ll be even more alert when it comes to helping protect your home.
3. Tell your credit card companies your itinerary: If they know you’ll be in Greece, company representatives won’t be suspicious of your spending there, but they’ll notify you if someone is using your credit card number at home.

Are you looking for simple, inexpensive way to improve your home security? The main component of property defense is an ADT alarm system, but there are several additional components you can install to bolster that technology. Read on to discover how you can make your family safer without breaking the bank.

Install Flood Lights: Normal bulbs concentrate their light into a narrow beam, illuminating a small area. Flood lights work the opposite way, by beaming low-level light across a wide swath of territory. One high powered flood light can bring your entire driveway out of the darkness, taking away hiding places from potential intruders. Along with ADT decals and sign posts, bright light is one of the strongest deterrents to criminals. Motion-sensing light systems can be installed for under one hundred dollars.

Take Away the Incentive to Break In: Don’t advertise your expensive goods to burglars. Hang some blinds or curtains in rooms with big-ticket items like televisions and computers. Try to park cars in the garage.

Get a Dog: Man’s best friend is a burglar’s worst enemy. You don’t need a Rottweiler or Pitbull; any dog with a decent bark will send criminals scurrying on to the next house on the block.

Change Your Locks: When was the last time you swapped out your old locks? If you’re like most Americans, every once in a while you give out a spare key. Over the years, these invitations into your home accumulate. Eliminate the chance of an uninvited guest gaining easy entry by changing the locks on all doors. While you’re at it, upgrade to a more secure deadbolt lock.

Buy a 2×4: One piece of wood can have a huge impact on your home security. Sliding glass doors are one of the most vulnerable parts of your home’s defense. Jam a 2×4 between the door frame and the lip of the door to make sure that it can’t easily be opened.

Home security is a lifelong effort. Use these inexpensive tips to make your ADT alarm even more effective.

The changing weather presents many challenges for homeowners. From the potential doom and gloom of hurricane season to the dangers that come along with heavy snowfall, people need to be aware of home security issues that could turn nasty quickly. Mother Nature can turn into a vicious killer in mere moments, so take note of the following situations and the accompanying ways to combat potential hazards.

Staying Safe During Hurricane Season: Residents of the Gulf Coast are well aware of the hazards associated with the height of hurricane season, but many don’t have an effective plan in place in case of the worst. Residents of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas need to have a firm strategy for both maintaining home security, and evacuating, should it come to that. Hurricane Katrina exposed the weakness of local, state, and federal government; don’t expect them to come to your rescue if another storm strikes. An ADT home alarm system is a great way to secure your home, especially if your evacuation takes you out of state. With five interconnected command centers, you know that no matter where the weather strikes, your service won’t go down.

The Many Dangers of Snow: The white fluffy stuff is the stuff of legend, but it can wreak havoc in different ways. Major snowstorms can dump feet of snow on your roof, and older houses may not have the structural integrity to hold up all that extra weight. If you’re taking a respite from the cold and heading south on vacation, make sure to arrange for someone to shovel-there’s nothing like an unplowed driveway to signal burglars that a homeowner isn’t home. While you’re at it, make sure to set your ADT home security system as you trudge out.

Be Aware of Tornadoes: In the Midwest, the fall brings danger of a different sort. Unpredictable weather can result in powerful tornadoes. Make sure everyone in your family knows where to head in case of a sudden twister strike.

Respect the power of Mother Nature, and take precautions to mitigate the dangers. By following proper procedures, you can lower the risk of a weather related catastrophe.

Winter is over, and in many parts of the country that means folks who spent the cold months hunkered down around the fireplace are starting to emerge from hibernation. Summer’s warm temperatures mean increased time outside of the house, and that’s a great thing, as long as you remember to take proper precautions to ensure the security of your home and family. From locking the doors to remembering to set your home alarm system, there are basic things to remember as you prepare to enjoy June, July, and August.

Getting Ready for Vacation: Many family’s head out of town during the summer to enjoy some time away from home. You don’t want to broadcast the fact that your house is open to potential intruders. Let the post office know that you’ll be out of town, and stop all newspaper deliveries. If you can have a neighbor come in a couple of times a day to change lights and take inventory to make sure everything is OK. And it goes without being said that switching on your home security system is a necessary action in protecting your possessions.

Use Caution When Working Outside: Summer is all about getting your lawn and property in order. Put extra emphasis on safety when operating dangerous machinery like chainsaws, woodchippers, and lawnmowers. Keep your kids away from these tools; the hospital is no place to spend summer vacation.

Test Your Smoke Alarms: Many families forget to test their smoke alarms once a month. In the event of a fire, this can be the difference between life and death. Home security products offered include fire, smoke, and medical emergencies as well as protection from intrusion. ADT can help you discover the different options to protect your home.

Be Extra Careful Around the Pool: Every year, tragic accidents occur when unsupervised children find their way into the family pool. This summer, consider putting up a fence around the water to keep unprepared swimmers out. At the very least, have a serious talk with younger kids about the dangers of swimming without an adult chaperone.

You’re sure to love the fun that comes along with being outside all summer long. As long as you spend the time safely, your family will enjoy the memories of these months for a long time to come. Just remember to take some simple precautions, and your home and family will remain secure.

Most home security systems these days are technologically advanced enough that they automatically contact a security company when there is an emergency.  The station that receives these calls is also known as a command center.  The command center is the heart of your security system, and if they fail then your system fails.  While failure is highly unlikely, it is the exact reason that the best home security companies offer more than one command center.

There are multiple reasons a command center could become nonoperational.  Telephone lines going down could cause a disturbance and power outages could cause minimal interruption as well.  These are only minimal.  Other possibilities are things such as tornadoes and hurricanes or other natural disasters.  Any disaster or large scale emergency would likely result in the nearest call center being bombarded with calls if the disaster did not impact it directly.

By providing multiple call centers that can accept overflow from one another in the event of an emergency, a home security company creates a safety net that ensures customers that someone will always answer the call for help.  Employees at all call centers have access to the same emergency services personnel in every city and town in the country, no matter where they are located.

Because of this interlinked network, even if a disaster were to render your nearest command center inoperable, your call would be immediately rerouted to another call center where you would receive help just as promptly.  This is a crucial part of a home security system, because as events both natural and man made have shown in the last ten years, a large scale crisis can come without warning.

ADT has long been the leader in home security. ADT home security operates five national command centers.  Each center is linked to all others, and they have access to almost forty thousand public safety and emergency services agencies.  This thickly woven web of command centers is prepared and fully trained to handle any crisis situation with quick assessment and response to every call.

In short, when it comes to a home security system, it is highly recommended to choose a company with more than one command center.  While natural disasters are uncommon, they can and do happen anywhere.  When a disaster strikes, it is more important than ever to have access to emergency services personnel.  With a home security system that can always reach someone in the event of intrusion, fire, flood, or other emergency, your chances of protecting your loved ones and your home are greatly increased.

Ultimately, whether or not you obtain a home security system is up to you.  If you elect to have a system installed, however, it is highly recommended that you choose a reputable company that employs more than one command center.  Most security companies will offer you protection for only a small monthly fee.  Isn’t it best to choose a company who will offer you the most protection your money can buy?

Everyone enjoys receiving a call from a good friend or family member. Recently, I picked up the phone to put in a call to my uncle, who lives in a small town nestled in the Appalachian mountains, to wish him a happy birthday. As always it was a pleasant conversation until I heard some disturbing news about the quiet country town where he lives.

Methamphetamine use has been on the rise in many of the small towns in the mountains. The drug use has been on the rise for a few years now. My uncle proceeded to tell me about the numerous break-ins that he hears about on his police scanner. Not a quiet evening goes by as these drug users commit larceny to pay for their next fix.

Week after week I research and write articles about companies such as ADT, Brinks, and Honeywell. I sat there listening to all the people we knew who had been a victim of recent burglary losing heirloom items by the thousands of dollars. With all the affordable security monitoring services that are available I found it hard to believe that so many people were not protected.

My uncle and aunt have been unable to go on a vacation for fear of their home being burglarized. I recommended they consider contacting ADT to find out what home security options they have available to protect their home. I selected ADT services for them because it fits their needs precisely. They needed to be able to rest easy knowing that if someone attempted to break into their home while they were home or away that the local authorities could respond promptly.

Many of the security providers offer continuous monitoring service but did you know that some of those companies only have one facility that monitors your home such as the monitoring available from Brinks. While companies like Brinks do have backup systems setup there is the possibility that you may not be protected in the event of a natural disaster or extended power outage of the monitoring facility.

Through my research I have found that ADT 24 Hour Monitoring can truly boost that they provide 24 hour coverage every day. ADT Home Security provides a total of five Customer Monitoring Centers with the ability for any of these centers to instantly pickup any calls that a center is unable to monitor due to any unforeseen circumstance that may arise.

Another benefit of the ADT security system is the two-way voice option. This would be a tremendous benefit if they were to experience a break-in while at home. The wall unit provides the ability for an ADT associate to speak directly with you. It has a range of 75 feet so that you can speak from virtually anywhere within your home.

The control panel provided by ADT is easy to use for anyone at any age. The security system’s components are wireless making it possible to install the system without making major modifications to your home. Another great wireless feature of this system is the option to add ADT Safewatch Cellguard which allows the unit to contact the monitoring center using a nearby cellular tower. ADT home security has a host of other monitoring services available including carbon monoxide, fire, and flood monitoring. These are great extra products that anyone can add to their security plan.

This security service will provide our extended family with the protection they need combined with monitoring that exceeds expectations. They can rest peacefully knowing that someone will always be watching over their home. Now that they have peace of mind about their home being watched over by ADT, I am anxiously awaiting a visit from my uncle and aunt.

The need for increased home security is well understood by many homeowners around the nation.  However, while that need might be understood, the options available may not be.  In fact, many homeowners are still without the vital protection of a home security system, relying instead on outmoded forms of protection or no protection, at all.  While once upon a time, door locks may have been a theft deterrent, they are little more than a minor hindrance to today’s criminals.
Home invasion is frequently in the headlines in our modern times.  One can scarcely open the newspaper or turn on the local news without seeing yet another story about home burglary or invasion.  What is a concerned consumer to do for home security?  What options provide the best benefits?  Are different protection levels available?  Here, then, are the answers to some of your home security questions.
The most comprehensive option for home protection is obviously a home security system.  These systems come with a wide range of options, from simple sirens and alarms at unauthorized entry to sophisticated systems that integrate video, audio and alarm systems, as well as real-time monitoring of vital areas for a plethora of different threats.
What does ADT Home Security provide you that will help make your home a safer, happier place?  Surprisingly, there are plenty of options for even the most concerned consumers.  Here are just a few of their innovative options.
3 Points of Protection – Customers can experience ADT’s award-winning protection at the front and rear doors, as well as their vulnerable windows that could allow an invader into the home.
Smart Motion Detectors – Smart motion detectors are capable of determining the difference between a small child or a pet and a home intruder.  In addition, these detectors are capable of detecting the difference between a threat and an object moved by a breeze or your HVAC system.
Monitors – Home monitors provide peace of mind in many instances.  While smoke and fire detectors are often options that consumers think of, there are others available.  For instance, carbon monoxide is a silent, deadly threat.  Carbon monoxide detectors linked into your home security system can detect this silent killer and alert you.  Flood detectors can be set to monitor at-threat areas and alert you should a threat materialize.
Cameras – While motion detectors and other additions are an important part of your home security, cameras can give you even better security.  ADT’s cameras can be routed through a computer for immediate access to all video streams and even accessed through other locations so that you can monitor your home when you are away.
Keychain Remote – The most common cause of false alarms is incorrect code input by the homeowner.  A keychain remote allows you to arm and disarm your alarm system from outside the house.  This means never having to go back inside if you forgot to set the alarm on the way out, never having to worry about forgetting the code and the ability to disarm the alarm from your driveway if you’re in a hurry.

Having a home security system is an important part of keeping your entire family and your possessions safe and secure.  In neighborhoods all across the country – even those considered very safe – homeowners and renters are protecting their dwellings with sophisticated security systems.

While the presence of home security systems does reduce crime in itself, the systems are also known as somewhat of a nuisance to police and fire personnel.  False alarms are very common with keypad-entry security systems.  The reason for false alarms is usually because the occupant of the home forgot their code or accidentally entered the wrong code.

Every time a false alarm is sounded and the police force or fire department responds, it costs your city money.  The costs vary by location, but some cities estimate that false alarms cost them a million dollars a year.  Understandably, many localities are now charging fines for homeowners who have repeated false alarms.  You may be forgiven for the first one or two false alarms, but any more than that and you’ll be billed each time.

City budgets aren’t the only victims of security system false alarms.  People who fear being fined sometimes disconnect their security system or simply stop arming it.  While it may save the occupant from being fined for accidentally tripping the alarm, it also opens the home up to break-ins.

In order to combat this increasing problem, ADT Security has introduced SafeWatch SafePass, which is a small radio frequency identification (RFID) tag that alarm system owners carry with them.  It works in the same way that entering a security code would work to arm and disarm the system.  The difference is that there is virtually no room for human error with this method.  It just takes a simple wave of the tag a couple of inches in front of the wall panel.

ADT Security is the only home security company in the nation with this technology.  They hope that the simple-to-use device will be beneficial not only for the person using the alarm system, but for every police, fire and rescue department around the country.  By making it harder to trigger the alarm accidentally, the device may save cities millions of dollars a year.

In addition to using the SafeWatch SafePass, there are many other ways to avoid setting off your alarm system accidentally.

1. Make sure everyone in the home knows how to use the system.  This doesn’t necessarily mean teaching your toddler the code, but let everyone know that doors shouldn’t be opened when the system is armed.  Inform them about the delay time between arming the alarm and getting out of the door.

2. Maintain your system.  Keep sensors clean, keep batteries fresh, and call the security company for maintenance when needed.

3. Know how to cancel the alarm.  In the case of a false alarm, you need to know the cancel code to avoid a costly visit by police, rescue, or fire personnel.

A great way to help protect your home and family – and avoid false alarms – is to select from one of the excellent, technologically-advanced ADT security systems.