How to Protect Your Home: A Practical Checklist for Toronto Homeowners
Most break-ins in the GTA are not clever. Someone tries a door, checks a window, or walks into an open garage. Here is how to make your home the one they skip, in the order that makes the biggest difference.
By Ilan Nahum , Blaze Alarms Updated October 13, 2026 7 min read
- Start with the free things: lock everything, light the outside, and stop advertising that you are away.
- Then make entry slow and noisy: good locks, a monitored alarm and visible cameras.
- A monitored alarm is what turns noise into a response. Cameras give you the evidence.
- Get a walk-through from someone who installs this every day before you buy anything.
1. Look at your house the way a burglar would
Walk around your home at night. Where could someone stand without being seen? Which door is hidden from the street? Is there a ladder by the garage or a side gate that does not lock? Most homes have two or three obvious weak spots, and once you have seen them you cannot unsee them.
Pay special attention to the back of the house. Front doors get most of the attention, but many break-ins happen through a back door, a patio door or a basement window, where nobody on the street can see.
2. Fix the free and cheap things first
- Lock doors and windows every time, including the door from the garage into the house and second-floor windows above a deck or porch roof.
- Change or rekey the locks when you move in. You never know how many keys the previous owner handed out.
- Light the outside. Motion lights at the back door, the side of the house and the driveway take away hiding places.
- Trim hedges and shrubs below window height so nobody can work on a window unseen.
- Do not advertise trips. Hold the mail, ask a neighbour to bring in parcels, and post your holiday photos when you are home.
- Keep car keys away from the front door. Keyless car theft is a real problem across the GTA, and keys near the door make it easier.
None of this costs much, and together it removes most of the easy opportunities. Our burglar-proofing guide goes through each room in more detail.
3. Make getting in slow
Time is a burglar's biggest enemy. A good deadbolt with a reinforced strike plate (longer screws that reach the frame), a bar in the patio door track and secure basement windows all add minutes. Every minute makes it more likely they give up or get noticed.
4. Add an alarm system, and have it monitored
An alarm does two jobs. The siren makes noise the moment a door or window opens, which is often enough to send someone running. Monitoring is the second job: a central station sees the alarm and starts a response even when you are asleep, at work or out of the country.
A typical home system we install is a DSC Neo alarm with door and window sensors, motion detectors, an indoor siren and a keypad by the door with fire, medical and police panic buttons. It communicates over the cellular network, so you do not need a landline, and it keeps working on its backup battery during a power cut.
An alarm that is not monitored only helps if someone nearby hears it and does something. That is why we always recommend monitoring. Here is exactly what happens when a monitored alarm goes off.
We visit, look at your home, and give you a written quote. No pressure, no obligation.
5. Add cameras where they actually help
Visible cameras put people off, and when something does happen they give you footage you can hand to police and your insurer. The cameras that matter most are the ones covering:
- the front door and porch, where parcels go missing
- the driveway, for cars and anyone walking up
- the back door and backyard
- side gates and the path down the side of the house
We install hardwired cameras recorded on a recorder inside your home, with colour night vision and viewing on your phone, and no monthly fee for the cameras. If you are deciding which cameras to get, read how to choose the right security cameras.
6. Do not forget fire, smoke and water
Home protection is not only about burglars. In Ontario, smoke alarms are required on every storey of a home, and carbon monoxide alarms are required near bedrooms if you have a fuel-burning appliance, a fireplace or an attached garage. If your alarm is monitored, monitored smoke and heat detectors can bring the fire department even when nobody is home. A flood sensor next to the water heater or sump pump can save a finished basement.
7. Know your neighbours
A neighbour who knows your car, your schedule and your face is one of the best security systems there is. Swap phone numbers with the people on either side. Agree to keep an eye on each other's homes during holidays.
8. Get a walk-through before you buy
Every home is different. A detached house in Thornhill with a long driveway needs something different from a Toronto semi with a laneway garage. A good installer will walk around with you, point out the weak spots and recommend only what you need. If someone quotes you a package without seeing the house, keep looking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important thing I can do to protect my home?
Lock every door and window every time, including the garage-to-house door. After that, a monitored alarm system gives the most protection for the money, because it brings a response when nobody is home.
Are cameras or an alarm better?
They do different jobs. An alarm detects someone getting in and brings a response. Cameras deter and record what happened. Many homeowners start with a monitored alarm and add cameras for the driveway and doors.
Do I need a landline for an alarm?
No. The alarms we install communicate over the cellular network. Landline monitoring is still available if you prefer it.
Will an alarm lower my home insurance?
Many insurers offer a discount for a monitored alarm. We give you a certificate to send to your insurer. Ask your insurer how much they offer, since it varies.
Ilan Nahum runs Blaze Alarms, a Toronto security company installing alarm systems and security cameras across the GTA since 1990. Rated stars from 178 Google reviews.
Blaze Alarms has protected Toronto and GTA homes since 1990. Tell us about your home and we will give you a clear written quote.