Lock it

Around half of the burglaries in areas popular with students are through an unlocked door or window.

Make sure you lock up before leaving a door or window unattended, and encourage your housemates to do the same – it only takes one person to leave something unlocked and a burglar to be in the right place at the right time for all of you to get burgled.

Hide it

Sometimes burglars look through windows to see if they can identify anything worth stealing before they risk breaking in. Try to avoid leaving valuables in sight of windows to reduce the risk.

Light it

Most burglars don’t like to bump into people when they break into a property; they prefer those that look like no-one’s home. So consider leaving a light on or to save energy use a timer to switch a lamp on and off automatically at pre-set times. This is especially useful for when leaving the property for longer periods like over the summer holiday.