Printable Home Security Assessment Checklist
Before you spend a dollar on cameras or monitoring, walk your home with this checklist. Most burglary deterrence is boring: solid doors, working locks, decent lighting, and habits that don't advertise an empty house. A security system works far better on top of those basics than instead of them.
How to use it: print this page (your browser's print function will strip the navigation and format it cleanly), grab a pen, and walk the outside of your home first, then each room. Anything unchecked is your to-do list - most items cost under $30 to fix. Budget about 30 minutes.
Exterior doors
- Every exterior door is solid-core wood, fiberglass, or metal - not hollow-core
- Every exterior door has a deadbolt with at least a 1-inch throw
- Strike plates are secured with 3-inch screws that reach the wall stud (the single cheapest high-impact fix - most doors fail at the frame, not the lock)
- Door hinges are on the inside, or have non-removable pins if exterior-facing
- Doors with glass within reach of the lock use a double-cylinder deadbolt or reinforced glass film (check local fire-egress rules before choosing double-cylinder)
- You can see who's outside without opening the door (peephole, sidelight view, or doorbell camera)
- The door between an attached garage and the house is treated as an exterior door (solid, deadbolted)
- Sliding doors have a security bar or dowel in the track and an anti-lift device
- No spare key hidden outside (under mats, in fake rocks, above frames - all first places checked)
Windows
- All ground-floor windows have working locks - not just the factory latch
- Windows you keep cracked for air have vent locks or pin stops limiting opening to a few inches
- Basement windows lock and, where appropriate, have interior grilles or well covers
- Second-floor windows near climbable features (porch roofs, trellises, fences, trees) lock like ground-floor windows
- Window air-conditioner units are bracketed so they can't be pushed in
Lighting and sight lines
- Every entry door has working exterior lighting
- Dark side- and back-of-house approaches have motion-activated lights
- Shrubs under windows are trimmed below sill height; tree canopies don't hide entry points
- House number is visible from the street at night (so emergency services can find you)
- Ladders, tools, and patio furniture that could help someone climb are stored away
Garage and outbuildings
- Garage doors close fully and the opener remote isn't visible in a parked car
- The emergency release cord is shielded from coat-hanger fishing (zip-tie method or shield)
- Garage windows are covered so contents aren't visible
- Sheds and detached garages have real locks, not luggage padlocks
Cameras, alarms, and network basics
- If you have an alarm: everyone in the household knows the code and how to cancel a false alarm (see false-alarm fines by city for why this matters)
- Alarm or camera batteries checked in the last 6 months; sensors actually trigger when tested in test mode
- Your local alarm permit is current if your city requires one
- Camera and doorbell accounts use unique passwords and two-factor authentication
- Your Wi-Fi router uses WPA2/WPA3 with a non-default password (cameras are only as private as the network they're on)
- Cameras cover actual approach paths (doors, driveway) rather than just pointing at the street
While-away habits
- Deliveries are paused, picked up by a neighbor, or routed to a locker when you travel
- Mail and packages don't accumulate visibly
- At least one interior light runs on a timer or smart schedule when you're away
- Trip announcements wait until you're home before appearing on social media
- A trusted neighbor has your contact info and knows when you're gone
- Valuables and documents are in a fixed safe or offsite, and photographed for insurance
Apartment & rental addendum
- Building entry actually latches behind you (report propped or broken doors to management)
- Your unit door has a deadbolt, and management rekeyed or replaced the lock between tenants - you're entitled to ask
- Portable additions in place where drilling isn't allowed: door security bar, portable door lock, adhesive window/door sensors
- Renter's insurance inventory is current (photos + serial numbers)
Found gaps a checklist can't fix? If your audit points toward an alarm system or cameras, start with how to choose a home security system without getting upsold and the honest tradeoffs in professional vs. self-monitoring. Already have a system that's not earning its keep? See DIY & fixes.
About this checklist
This checklist is compiled from broadly accepted, low-risk physical-security practices documented in law-enforcement community guidance and locksmith/industry material - the kind of measures that are useful regardless of which (if any) alarm brand you own. It is general information, not a professional security assessment of your specific property; see our editorial policy. No product purchase is required to complete any item.