Home Security Checklist & Score
Audit your home's physical security defenses. Calculate your 0–100 security score, identify vulnerable entry points.
Physical Security Audit Checklist
Security Scorecard
⚖️ Decision Verdict: Fortified Defense Profile
Your home incorporates heavy door reinforcement, perimeter lighting, and active alarm monitoring, creating significant friction that deters opportunistic burglars.
Priority Action Items & Burglary Statistics
About this tool
How to use it
- Check off the physical security measures currently installed at your residence.
- Evaluate front and back entry doors, strike plate screw lengths, and patio sliders.
- Inspect outdoor motion sensor lights, window stops, and landscape hiding blind spots.
- Click 'Audit Home Security' to generate your 0–100 Defense Score and insurance discount rating.
- Review the prioritized low-cost DIY hardware upgrades.
Why it matters
The overwhelming majority of residential burglaries are opportunistic crimes of convenience, not sophisticated heists. Burglars specifically look for easy target indicators: dark entryways, flimsy strike plates that yield to a single kick, and unlocked patio doors. Adding layered physical friction deters over 90% of attempted break-ins within the first 60 seconds.
When to use it
Use this checklist when moving into a new home or apartment, reviewing home insurance policy discounts, leaving for extended holiday travel, or enhancing neighborhood safety.
Good to know
Home Insurance Discounts: Most major homeowner insurance carriers offer between 5% and 15% annual premium discounts for residences equipped with certified deadbolts, smoke detectors, and centrally monitored burglar alarms.
Common questions
Why are 3-inch strike plate screws so critical?
Standard door lock sets come with 3/4-inch screws that only penetrate the weak decorative wood door jamb. Upgrading to 3-inch screws anchors the strike plate deep into the structural 2x4 wall framing studs, making the door nearly impossible to kick open.
What is the most common entry point for home burglars?
According to FBI Uniform Crime Reporting statistics, 34% of burglars enter directly through the front door, 23% through first-floor windows, and 22% through back or patio doors.
How much can I save on home insurance with security upgrades?
Installing deadbolts and fire alarms qualifies for a standard 5% discount, while adding a 24/7 monitored burglar alarm system with cellular backup often increases savings to 15% or 20% on annual premiums.
Do security yard signs actually deter burglars?
Yes. Studies interviewing convicted burglars show that visible alarm decals, yard signs, and exterior cameras prompt over 60% of intruders to bypass the home in search of an unmonitored target.
What is the best way to secure sliding patio glass doors?
Sliding doors have notoriously weak factory latch locks. The most effective defense is a heavy-duty security bar placed in the lower track or a hardened steel pin lock drilled through the overlapping frame.