To be absolutely terrified now of house being broken into?

[Honeyandlemon19]

So basically we think we may have been the target or potentially will be target of burglars soon.

On Saturday night a neighbour knocked and told us they had seen two men at the end of our drive with their phones out taking pics of our car/house. He couldn’t tell exactly which but was fairly sure that’s what they were doing. When we came out into his own drive they put up their hoods and walked off. We live at the bottom of a cul de sac & he saw them walk down the street, stop outside and take the pics and then walk back up when he came out. So it seemed very deliberate rather than coincidental.

Neighbour rang the police to report it who came out and spoke to us and a few other neighbours etc. Advised us how to be careful with keys and so on and said they had driven round the area but hadn’t seen anyone.

I actually feel sick with anxiety about being broken into now. We have a 3 month old baby and a very sweet but nervous dog with epilepsy in the house. I am terrified of them coming in while we’re in or of them stealing the dog. The thought of how scared the dog would be with if she was taken away makes me want to cry. She sleeps in the kitchen which the most likely place someone would come in.

We have an alarm but it’s basically just a sensor in each room downstairs and can’t be set because the dog would set it off when she walks around in the night. We can’t really afford a new alarm system.

We’re taking all car and house keys and bags/wallets and so on to bed with us at night. We’re always careful about locking doors and have security lights outside. Apart from that I don’t think there’s much we can do.

I feel like I’m being watched now and am waiting for something bad to happen. I’ve had bad anxiety in the past and this has really triggered it again and set me off imagining every possible scenario, each one worse than the last. I’m at home most of the time with the baby but now don’t feel safe here and also don’t want to leave the house for fear of what could happen to the dog. It’s a horrible feeling. I should add I couldn’t care less about possessions or if the car was taken, it’s the thought of any harm coming to us or our privacy being invaded that I’m scared of.

Has anyone any experience of this or advice on how I can live my life not in constant fear now?

That's shit.
Are cctv cameras an option?
The system you can access from your phone?

That’s horrible. You poor thing. Maybe take the dog upstairs and set the alarm downstairs for a while... hopefully you will be ok

Scary..

The obvious option is dog comes to bed with you at night and you put the downstairs alarm on - free, and simple.

We would bring the dog up but anytime we’ve tried it she sits and moans to go back downstairs. I think because she’s quite anxious herself she likes the safety of her own bed that she’s used to. Even bringing the bed up didn’t work. So with the baby as well who hardly sleeps already, bringing the dog up to whine and moan isn’t really an option

I would love to get CCTV but I imagine that’d be really expensive? I’m on maternity so finances are already really really tight.

I once heard (and you may want to research this as I may have got it wrong) that you should leave car keys downstairs so if they are looking to steal your car they won't be tempted to come into the bedrooms to find the keys.
I would also take the dog to bed with you and set the downstairs burglar alarm.

Install CCTV or motion activated lights outside.

You can get WiFi motion activated smart devices from Electrical Direct for example which notify your phone if doors or windows are opened. You download an app to your phone and then fix the sensor to the doors/windows. and it takes 3-5 seconds to notify your phone if the door or window with the sensor on is opened . This can also work (as long as you are connected to the internet) when you are not at home.

I don't want to alarm you further but please don't take your car keys to bed. Don't leave them in plain sight of windows etc but if someone was to break in with a view to stealing your car, the best (unthinkable, but safest) option is to just let them take it. It's a tin box that's insured.
I know someone who was broken into, personally - this isn't a "my mates, cousins, dogs best friend" type of story, he left his car keys on the top of the stairs one night. He was broken into, they found his keys. Police said the previous cases in the area suggested that they were coming to find him in order to take his keys by force but luckily for him they found them on the way up.
It absolutely scared the shit out of me and now leave the keys in a deep enough bowl on the sideboard that you can see them easily walking close by them but not from outside the window, I obviously don't want to invite opportunistic thieves but if someone is already inside 🤷🏼‍♀️

What type of car do you have?

Echoing what previous posters said - the safest option is to leave car keys downstairs as the chances are then they’ll take the car and leave. Much preferable to them coming into a room where you and baby are.

We recently got an alarm system with ADT, it’s only £30 a month and has a pet sensor in so your little dog could stay downstairs. I know you said you couldn’t afford it at the moment but it was much cheaper than I expected when we looked into it so thought I’d mention it in case that is a possibility for you.

Can u set the alarm to windows and doors? I would also leave the keys downstairs as previous posters have said

Yes, leave keys downstairs. We also have an ADT alarm that a PP mentioned. £29 a month, the dogs don't set it off and it is a monitored system.

I’ve said to my husband about the car keys. He still thinks we should take them up. I’ve tried explaining it to him that they are much more likely to just take the keys and go but he thinks it’s just making it easy for them and they could still come upstairs anyway.

I’ll check out ADT. I could definitely stretch to £30 a month to feel safe.

Thanks for all the replies.

I have Blink cameras from Amazon they are motion activated same as the Ring doorbell and alerts you on the app. It’s not hugely expensive but has given me peace of mind. If your neighbour has seen these people and sounds like he scared them away they may not come back as there’s going to be easier targets than your home. Make you home look occupied at all times, leave lights on etc maybe get some light timers that switch them on and off when your out.

Anyone with bad intentions is going to not want to risk being caught or disturbed so make your home as unattractive to them as possible

Do you have euro cylinder locks on your external doors? Are they the cheap ones that are very easy to snap? Swap them for ABS Avocet eurocylinders..

I would be concerned for your dog.

Be very aware of your surroundings when you are going out, if necessary take a note of car and van reg of anything parked nearby and take obvious photos so that if anyone is lurking they will know you are on to them.

Ensure the house looks occupied at all times. I leave lights on timers and ensure that there is one on all night. I am often up at odd hours so will also put them on and off if I get up. Put a radio or TV on so it can be heard from outside and be very careful if there is access from the back.

Get a London bar for the doors. It won't stop anyone from kicking the door it but it will make it more difficult and make more noise.

Some people say to leave the car keys near the door, that makes it easier for them to get the keys but it won't stop them going into the house for anything else they can get and it makes it easier to use a fishing rod through the letterbox.

Amazon do CCTV cameras for as little as £27 (they are internal home cameras). You download the app for the particular camera and you can see the comings and goings if you put them on your window sill facing outwards onto your drive/back garden. Buy or make "You're on CCTV" type signs so you are covered legally and will also be a deterrent. Some of the CCTV signs are bright yellow, so brilliantly obvious. If you can affix a sign to the bottom of you drive, then it can be easily seen if they walk into your cul-de-sac again and hopefully they will be put off. Good luck OP x

Some cheap options for home security:

Have you got an Alexa device? There is a holiday mode that you can set on it and it plays voices and other background noises constantly so it sounds like someone is there chatting and doing stuff - there is one that sounds like an office with people discussing something and a printer running, another one with cooking sounds etc - you could run this when you are out or on your own.

I have got several internal CCTV cameras that were around £30 each - you can set them to send you a motion alert to your phone or even make a siren sound if it detects movement.

A Ring doorbell is really good as it alerts you to anyone coming to your door and you can speak to them without answering. They are around £100.

My mum always leaves her car keys downstairs (not visable from outside but couldn’t miss them once your in) incase someone broke in, my dad was a soldier so away for long periods of time, I also remember when I was still at home she left a purse with the keys with a small amount of money in (about £40 I think) so that hopefully they would think that all she had if someone did break in she also said its handy for when she forgets to get money for the milkman. Does your alarm set to windows and doors only? If you can’t afford cctv you can get fake cameras off amazon to put up outside your house (look for the ones that look real, compare pictures of real ones) to try and deter anyone from breaking in? In the mean time maybe save up for real ones if your able to? Also close blinds or curtains at night and leave hall and bathroom lights on it might make it look as if someone’s awake and stop some one breaking in? Hopefully doing a few of these might put your mind at rest enough to get some sleep.

Police told me the best place to leave your keys is top of stairs. Far enough away to stop someone grabbing through the doors, but if they came upstairs they wouldn’t be barging into your bedrooms. Also, you could just chuck them down.

You can buy alarms for windows and doors so if anyone tries the handle or breaks the glass they sound. Crude but gives you a heads up.

www.amazon.co.uk/WER-Doberman-Ultra-Slim-Sensors-Modern-Window-Perfect/dp/B01K4G3TZ2/ref=sr_1_29?crid=3C6CVIF58TU83&keywords=window+alarm+sensors&sprefix=Window+al%2Caps%2C145&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1572889582&sr=8-29

Finally invest in an outdoor camera. Nest, ring, Arlo all have options at different price points and means you get a notification if someone triggers the camera. Have Arlo if you want to ask me any questions. Was a bit pricey but worth it. I think single cameras from nest or ring would be more affordable.

Oh and when I was broken into because I had left the keys on the stairs (in case of fire meant that we could get hold of them easily) and left my handbag in the hall, it meant that the burglars could grab stuff and get in and out without having to come upstairs to find them.

I have heard of people waking up to find an intruder next to their bed demanding keys / money so I would rather they took it and left us well alone.

I agree don't take the keys upstairs, if you have a desirable car and that's all they want better they take it without involving you or DH, it just isn't worth risking injury for.

Please just leave the car keys downstairs. Somewhere not visible to the outside but visible pretty much as soon as you come in. If someone breaks in wanting to steal the car they will take the keys and go. A few years ago we had this happen. It was ex's car, a make that was targeted, the keys were just inside the door luckily. Nothing else was taken, nothing damaged. It was horrible knowing the intrusion had happened but we were unharmed, young DS was unharmed and ddog slept through it as we all did. there was cash in the kitchen left behind. police said it was best (and safer) to leave keys downstairs and visible like this, as it stops them hunting for them upstairs were you are.

Short term cheap deterrent ?

www.amazon.co.uk/Wireless-Door-Handle-Alarm-Intruder/dp/B01BNLDBCI?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

www.amazon.co.uk/Wireless-Security-Magnetic-Batteries-included/dp/B073XBCNYS/ref=pd_sbs_469_t_1/262-5044406-2528110?psc=1&pf_rd_p=e44592b5-e56d-44c2-a4f9-dbdc09b29395&_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_wg=LT1Ov&pf_rd_r=K84A22WVS2PK337W1KJ3&pd_rd_i=B073XBCNYS&pd_rd_w=AXfQh&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&refRID=K84A22WVS2PK337W1KJ3&pd_rd_r=857d2494-2f1b-440e-ab12-ead955f671bc

How awful
DH developed anxiety with regards to house security a few years ago
We ended up getting a new lock on the French door , a ridiculously bright security light for the back garden and cctv.
The cctv was £400 all in for fitting, 3 cameras and the monitoring equipment which was a lot cheaper than I thought these things would be and I think it’s worth it for peace of mind and a deterrent

I looked at ADT alarms, but they will only sound if someone has already broken into your house? I don’t want it to get to that point. I want to know if someone has stepped on my drive or got into the garden before they have the chance to break in so that’s why in prefer my outdoor camera with motion sensor.

Earlier this year we had two men try our back door with a device. My outdoor camera (which faces the back of the house) picked them up so I was alerted. Turned lights on which made them run off and I called the police who came out immediately and actually caught one of them near the local river.
Just something to think about. The camera offer more protection imo.

Agreed with others re car keys, safest option is to leave them downstairs. If you have a desirable car (sounds like if they were taking pics of it) then that may well be the only thing they are after. It’s insured so as annoying as it will be, at least you know it can be replaced- your lives can’t.

If your car is particularly fancy it may actually just be a case of two young boys passing by and taking a pic of it to show their friends so nothing sinister at all.