By: Jay kt

What You Need To Know

• Investing in home security means also investing in outbuildings, including sheds and garages.
• Criminals regularly target these buildings due to their potential ease of access points.
• It’s wise to regularly update locks and add perimeter security such as lighting and alarms.
• Cover up blind spots or weak points of entry, and carry out regular checks for potential issues.

When reinforcing your property’s perimeter, it’s easy to feel like the job is done because you installed a new garden gate lock. Yes, a new garden gate lock with code access, or even a standard long-throw gate lock, will make a difference. However, it won’t deter the most hardened or desperate of criminals.

If someone sees your property has exterior buildings, such as sheds, garages, and other outbuildings, then they may see your home as worth trying to break into. Rather than come through your front door, staff at Locksandhardware.co.uk suggest they’ll be more likely to target your exterior buildings.

So, securing these buildings is essential. How can you make sure your outbuildings are more likely to stay secure? What kind of installations are more likely to ward off potential intruders?

Why Outdoor Buildings Are An Ideal Target For Criminal Entry

You might assume that break-ins begin and end with your property itself. However, given the high level of investment in home security, the security services industry is expected to cost around £1.9 billion in 2026, and most criminals tend to look for ‘easier’ targets.

With over 166,577 burglaries reported in England and Wales in the last reporting period, you must take security seriously. Just shy of 1 in 10 people surveyed reported being the target of a burglary in the last year. As many as 3 in 10 of those surveyed by Aviva have experienced an attempted or successful break-in into their outbuildings.

Criminals see them as easier to get into because there is less security. On top of that, whilst most homes have high-quality, modern British Standards-certified locks installed, many sheds, garages and other outbuildings often have nothing more than a basic padlock or snib lock.

So, entry is easier, and there is less risk of being caught. How can you avoid your outdoor buildings being targeted in this manner, though? Let’s take a look at some of the best security features to install.

Lights, Locks, and Monitoring Systems for Essential Outdoor Security

There are three main areas where we recommend prioritizing your budget for upgrading security. As well as fitting a durable garden gate lock, ideally a gate lock with code access instead of a basic lock and key, you should invest in the following for your outdoor buildings.

Modernize Your Locks

First, please remove the old padlock you bought years ago from the pound shop. It’s time to buy something a little stronger. If you insist on a padlock, get a code-operated padlock or a smart padlock. A hardened-steel closed-shackle padlock is almost a non-negotiable for most outdoor buildings.

These might cost you a little more, but they are far more durable and challenging to forcefully remove. Ideally, though, you want to get a proper door lock for your garage, shed, or other building. You might also wish to upgrade your door hinges, as weak or loose hinges make forced entry much easier.

For garage doors, please consult a professional. DIY installation of better garage door locks is not advised. Most garages have nothing more than a shutter and a padlock, which, with the right tools, can be quickly removed. Get something stronger, such as an automatic garage door, for peace of mind.

Add Lights To Reduce Hiding Spots

Our next suggestion is to install new motion-activated lighting along your perimeter. These are great to have around the perimeter of your building, especially if you have a garden. Even adding perimeter lighting around your shed or garage can be a great place to get started.

Motion lighting is the ideal choice here. We recommend motion lighting as it’s going to cost you less money and you’re less likely to have neighbors complaining about lights shining off their windows at night. Motion lights are also great at making criminals pause before proceeding.

Most criminals work in the darkness, using blind spots or dark spaces to hide until they can break in without being seen. If you have motion lighting, it removes valuable hiding spaces that they could use. Do not give criminals the cover of night to cloak themselves before they try to break in.

Monitoring Systems, Alarms, and Cameras

Finally, make sure you consider installing a monitoring system. If you have something like a Ring doorbell or a Verisure, you can add an outdoor camera to cover your outbuildings as well. These can send you immediate alerts when someone sets foot on your property.

You might be better off getting an all-in-one smart security system. These come with alarms, monitoring systems, and cameras. Everything is linked to work in harmony, meaning the whole system interacts with one another. That means both property and perimeter entrances are more secure.

If your house has an alarm system and a camera system, paired with motion lighting and high-quality locks, you’re likely to scare off most criminals from even attempting to break in. A three-way setup of cameras, motion detectors and alarms is an effective way to discourage most intruders.

Make Your Outdoor Buildings As Secure As Possible

Hopefully, this guide has given you a good place to start when securing your property perimeter. Alongside a solid, secure garden gate lock, this can make your home far less likely to be targeted by criminals looking to steal your belongings during a break-in.

Be sure to go around your property and look for any weak points, easy points of entry and/or blind spots. Also, be sure to use a professional for installation. They can ensure everything is linked up correctly and that installation is both in the best locations for maximum visibility and connectivity.

Lastly, be sure to regularly maintain and check your locks, doors, door furniture (hinges and handles) and your security systems. The better the condition, the less likely these systems are to fail you when you need them most.

Strengthening the security of your outdoor buildings is a natural extension of the work you have already put into protecting your home. Small upgrades to locks, lighting, and monitoring can add a meaningful layer of protection to your overall property.