Manufactured home residents should strive to keep their homes safe from mobile home theft whenever possible. The last thing any mobile home owner wants is to come home and find their belongings gone, or their locks broken.
If you live in a mobile home, or are looking to buy a mobile home in the near future, here are a few things to keep in mind to keep yourself safe from mobile home theft:
Essential Anti-Theft Fixtures
Locks
The first and most important step towards keeping your mobile home secure is ensuring that your locks are in solid condition. This means you should test them regularly to ensure that all of the locks in your mobile home, from your doors to your windows, are secure and working properly.
You’ll also want to inspect the screws that keep your door’s lock in place, as well as the strike plate. If the screws in the strike plate seem too short, consider adding in longer screws if you are able to.
Security systems
To this day, installing a security system into your home remains a highly effective way to keep your home protected.
Some time-tested security systems are installed inside your home and can “arm” your home when you’re away in case anyone unwanted tries to enter.
Not only that, but modern security systems can take the form of smart doorbells that directly connect to your phone, giving you a perfect view of who’s outside your home at any given point. These are often a cost-effective way of monitoring your home for mobile homeowners on a budget, and are relatively easy to install.
If you live in a manufactured home community, check your community’s guidelines to ensure that you are permitted to install a security system, as well as to see whether one can be installed for you.
Pro Tips to Protect Against Mobile Home Theft
Be Subtle About Your Belongings
There’s no better way to protect your mobile home from theft than to be smart about how you display your belongings in your home.
For example, if you can see a large TV or another expensive appliance in your home from the window if you’re standing outside, consider moving it to a place that’s less visible. If a would-be robber can’t see items of value from outside your mobile home, they’ll be much less inclined to break in.
You can also get around this issue by installing blinds and curtains around your windows, if you haven’t already. This can practically eliminate the extent to which outsiders can view inside your home through the windows.
Smart Disposal of Trash
Large appliances such as TVs, refrigerators, and even some computers may come in boxes too large to fit in a standard trash can. While your first instinct may be to throw the empty boxes on the curb for trash pickup, in reality this may draw the attention of would-be burglars who now know that you have a fancy new gadget inside your mobile home.
To protect against this, it’s recommended that you cut up large boxes into pieces small enough to fit into your trash can, or avoid taking them out to the curb until trash pickup day arrives.
You can also consider using a shredder for documents that contain sensitive info, such as social security numbers or important account information, to protect your identity once you throw those documents away.
Using Garages to Your Benefit
Some mobile homes offer garages, sheds, and carports that either directly connect to the home or stand as their own separate structure. Your garage can be a great place to conceal valuables from the outside, such as a car or a bicycle.
Garages will usually come with their own kinds of locks as well. From the outside, this may appear as either a number pad that’s used to open the door, or a key fob on the garage door itself. There may also be a side door, similar to a door you’d find in a house, present in the garage that has its own lock, too.
While these are some of the best ways to keep your mobile home secure, it doesn’t stop there. Don’t forget to check out these other tips on keeping your mobile home secure.
