Home Security Checklist for Balwyn & Boroondara Homes

Why Balwyn homes have particular weak points

Much of Balwyn, Deepdene, Canterbury and Surrey Hills is made up of older homes — Edwardian, Californian bungalow and post-war houses — many renovated with new rear extensions. That often means a beautiful original front door with dated hardware, alongside large glass sliding doors at the back. Townhouses and units in Balwyn North, Camberwell and Kew bring shared driveways, garages and common entries.

Each style is secure when the details are right. This checklist covers those details.

Front and back doors

External doors are where security work pays off most.

• Fit a quality deadbolt on every external door, not only the front.
• Check the strike plate is fixed with long screws reaching the stud behind the frame.
• Make sure the door closes and latches without lifting or pushing.
• Look for gaps between door and frame where a tool could be inserted.
• Replace locks that stick, wobble or need the key jiggled.
• Check hinges on outward-opening doors cannot simply be unscrewed from outside.

Locksmith tip: Most forced entries attack the frame, not the lock. A strong deadbolt held by short screws in soft timber is only as strong as those screws.

Sliding and French doors

Sliding doors in renovated rear extensions are often protected only by a simple latch. Adding a keyed lock, a secondary bolt or an anti-lift device makes them much harder to force or lift off the track.

French doors need bolts at the top and bottom of the inactive door, otherwise the pair can be pushed open together.

Windows

Keyed window locks on ground-floor windows and anything reachable from a roof, fence or balcony are inexpensive and effective. Keep the keys somewhere everyone in the household knows, so windows can still be opened quickly in a fire.

Garages and side gates

An internal door from the garage into the house should be treated as an external door and given a deadbolt. Side gates should be locked so the back of the property is not freely accessible from the street.

Key control

Know who holds a key to your home. If you have lost count — cleaners, past tenants, tradespeople, a former housemate — rekeying resets the list to zero. Avoid hiding keys under mats or pot plants; they are the first places anyone looks.

Simple habits that make a big difference

Hardware works best alongside good habits:

• Lock the deadbolt every time, even when you are home.
• Keep keys away from the front door, where they can be reached through a letterbox or window.
• Use sensor lighting at entries and along side paths.
• Keep shrubs near windows and doors trimmed so entries stay visible from the street.
• When travelling, ask a neighbour to clear mail and parcels.

Get a second opinion

A local locksmith can walk around your home and show you the weak points, then explain which changes matter most and which can wait. Call Balwyn Locksmith Service on 03 4150 3398 — open 7 days, 9 am – 10 pm.