House security

          You don't want to bring your glock.  How is the community set up?  How well do you know your neighbors?  Out here in the province is not a problem, surrounded by family and friends.  We are gone for six months from April to October, nothing missing when we get back.

If the house is to be vacant for months at a time, consider a family member as a live-in caretaker or hire a caretaker.

A fence will help, but not prevent those who are determined.

Likewise, dogs.

An alternative may be making it an Airbnb rental using a local host, with whom you split the rental fee.

Overall, make your stuff as invisible as possible.

I don't believe that bars on windows and razor wire will keep out anyone whose mind is made up.  But if there is no opportunity (because of occupancy) the risk is reduced.

Relatives, caretakers, and Airbnb hosts have all cooperated with thieves in the past.  There is no ironclad way to protect your stuff without turning your vacation home into a bunker.  Perhaps a different mindset will help ... it's just stuff.  Insurance can replace an item (but not a memory) like a car.  I would hate to lose something I've owned for fifty or sixty years and brought with me here to the Philippines, but 99% of what i own is just stuff that can be replaced.

Stef

You said rental home. . . .

You could install portable security devices like motion detectors to activate an alarm. Since it is a rental, your portable security device can be installed in any future rental or any housing you may purchase.

@NN3M/DU3For an empty house you can hire an armed security guard. We had a housesitter here but also had armed security at night for 20k per month. He told me (as you mentioned) that thrives can work with your relatives, housekeepers and even armed security guards that you hire. He told me the only guard you can trust is a guard dog i.e. a big dog like German Shepherd, Malinois Doberman etc .I agree, the combination of a guard, housesitteranf German Shepard should be pretty good and also not too bad if you don't have an armed guard. Our 11 foot wall with broken glass will discourage climbing over but if he ever did make it over he will wish he didn't. If you know about German Shepherds and how they react to inruders you know what I mean. Meanwhile the housesitter calls the police... Never happened before as this place is not too crime ridden but we leave the house protected with living humans and animals when we go overseas.

@danfinn

Yup. got our fence/wall/barbwire tops. After that 4 local mutts will be on their asses. If they get past the mutts, it's our trained Belgian Malinois they need to worry about.

Here are the interesting points I am thinking about....

1. Renter's insurance. I wonder what the monthly cost would be to have replacement cost for my $5K computer equipment?
2. Install portable security devices. I have never lived in the Philippines. Would it be similar to my apt in the City of Dallas in which nobody will care about the loud alarms.
3. House sitter or guard? How can I trust the house sitter or guard?

tempcinamdar said. . . .  Here are the interesting points I am thinking about.... Install portable security devices. I have never lived in the Philippines. Would it be similar to my apt in the City of Dallas in which nobody will care about the loud alarms.

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Many years ago I rented a house in suburban Pittsburgh, PA. I had extensive & expensive ham radio gear. I bought a motion detector & siren from Radio Shack. The sensor looked like a speaker for my ham gear. The siren was powered by an old car battery under my desk and mounted on the roof.

I received a notice from the police that they had made a second trip to my house when the siren went off. 

It seemed my cat went into the bedroom and set the motion detector off. I solved the problem by keeping the bedroom door closed.

For anyone owning a house in the Philippines, the object is to be a deterrent.

(1) In the states never leave your garage door visibly open or unlocked.

(2) Lock all windows and doors and have a screened security door installed.

(3) There are motion detectors that mimic barking dogs.

(4) There are portable sound detectors that can determine breaking glass with a built in blaring horn.

Some, all, or none of these things will work for you.

    Here are the interesting points I am thinking about....

Renter's insurance. I wonder what the monthly cost would be to have replacement cost for my $5K computer equipment?
Install portable security devices. I have never lived in the Philippines. Would it be similar to my apt in the City of Dallas in which nobody will care about the loud alarms.
House sitter or guard? How can I trust the house sitter or guard?

   

    -@tempcinamdar

Welcome to the forum.

We were robbed 18 months ago, a cheap laptop a Bose sound bar, Cash in my and Bens wallets and a few other minor things, Bens back pack with a few trivial things except a set of keys to the house which meant changing 3 door locks with a total value of around P 75/80 K

I believe it was an inside job as we had 7 workers living in the bunk house and not saying it was one of them but maybe one of their mates from the next town.

I say this because as there were 7 workers living here 6 days a week with construction and while they had their own bathroom we used to leave a door open to a spare bathroom in the house to also use. The cash in the wallets was taken but not debit/credit cards nor wallets as well as some cash on the dining room table. A headache as I had to quickly change all my access and passwords from that laptop.

Nasty thing was it was probably in the early hours of the morning and we were sleeping while they he she or it was lurking.

The police did nothing, questioned the 7 workers living here but not the other 3 that went home every day, nothing came of it and some months later the police all 4 of them again lobbed up here asking for a hand out for their Christmas party, simply said find the thieves, return the goods and then we will give.

We had an 8 camera swann CCRV camera system that I purchased in Australia that we installed and stickers on the front and back gates, Ben made me install pad bolts on the inside of the 3 entry doors so he could sleep at night.

Honestly I think our robbery was opportunistic. We have 8/9 ft high fences on 3 sides but the beach nothing for the view. Fences aside, that's what ladders are for, CCTV that's what ski masks are for, Door locks are to keep the average punter out and not the serious crook.

As for insurance? Here? we only have comprehensive car insurance, nothing for the bikes or contents nor the house. As others mentioned if you are going to be away you need a live in that you can trust. We also have a couple of Labradors that barks very loudly but when a crook ventures in they will lick him/her to death.

Simply look at the crime rates here compared to home country and pick wisely where you want to live. My German neighbour said he and his wife were robbed about 8 years ago, they took the food out of the fridge and freezer and nothing else.

Good luck.

Cheers, Steve.

The other thing I will add that where you live (pick well) is to treat every one with respect the same as you would like to be treated. We share extra garden grown food with many of our neighbours as they do with us, always a quick hello or a toot when driving past, not in each others pockets one bit but we all look out for each other and strangers. Bit like neighbourhood watch that we had in Australia.

We here are targets as most here have money and big houses but the crime rate seems to be very low. Perhaps because we have a Mayor and high court judge here, most have CCTV and a couple of dogs.

Chjeers, Steve.

One basic thing I failed to mention, when living in a rental property, change the locks. When and if you move, you can install the original locks back.

I've known my wife and her family for about 18 years and in that time there has been nothing stolen from any of the properties they've lived on. Also during that time there has never been a time when the properties were vacated. No matter what we plan or where we go at least one family member stays behind to watch over the property. It is the way of life in the provinces of the Philippines.

    I've known my wife and her family for about 18 years and in that time there has been nothing stolen from any of the properties they've lived on. Also during that time there has never been a time when the properties were vacated. No matter what we plan or where we go at least one family member stays behind to watch over the property. It is the way of life in the provinces of the Philippines.
   

    -@Moon Dog

Same deal here in Santa, the nonreplacement of security dogs changed nothing except the noise at night.  In 29 years no reported thefts here, someone is always present.

We are trying to get a live in worker that can/will be a trusted member of the family home, nothing found to date, not a one.

If we went away for a few days we simply locked the house, now with 2 Labradors we can't as they need tucker. Also the house is large and extra help would be great as well as added security.

Cheers, Steve.

Enzyte Bob I had an extra class amateur radio license when you were very young.

The original WB5V. I allowed my license to expire. Got my first license in second

half of the 70s.

Your experiences in Pittsburg are not relevant to the Philippines.

People keep saying to find someone in the Philippines that I can trust. That makes

me laugh because I have never lived in the Philippines.

In about 12 months I will move to Malaybalay. Much better place than Baguio City.

No hills and not crowded and not expensive. My pension is only 150K pesos and only

a very small amount in savings.

I did ask previously if a loud house alarm will cause the theives to run. If the

theives are your neighbors the loud alarms will probably not help.

I will not own a house in the Philippines. My wallet is not that deep.

Can I get affordable renter's insurance that will give me replacement cost?

I will rent a home for about 25K in Malaybalay. In that small city of 200K

that will give me a rental home that would cost me a few thousand $ in Dallas.

So far the majority of American men living in the Philippines have deep

wallets compared to me. As Bob Dylan wrote a change is coming.

Folks say if I am going to be away for awhile. Hello? It only takes a burgular a few minutes

to empty your house.

Choose wisely where I live in Malaybalay? That is great advice if I have a deep wallet.

I agree with with "treat every one with respect the same as you would like to be treated"

but that is not enough.

My rental home will not have 11 ft fence with barb wire. That is the luxury of the wealthy.

"change the locks". Thank you that is good advice.

My Filipino wife and I will not have any relatives or friends. Eventually we have friends but

not initially.

When my wife and I leave the house there will not be anyone to watch our house.

             Sorry to read you have no friends or family in the Philippines.   Family can be a double edged sword.  Malaybalay is known as the southern summer capital, as it is about half as high and has half the population of Baguio.  The weather this week is hitting 90F while in Baguio never gets to 80F.  For 25k pesos we rented a two bedroom apartment in Baguio.  The rent included all the utilities, hot water in the shower,  smart tv and WiFi.  No aircon in Baguio, never needed.  We found cheaper prices and better quality food at the markets in Baguio and cheap public transportation compared to Manila and Ilocos Sur. 

            You said you never lived in the Philippines,  but have you visited?  A lot of different things happening all over the 7,100 islands.  If you like fire arms you might want to check out Correghidor Island in Manila Bay, has turn of the 20th century pieces made by Bethlehem Steel, the whole island looks like it did in 1945.

Tempcnamdar said. . . . Enzyte Bob I had an extra class amateur radio license when you were very young.
The original WB5V. I allowed my license to expire. Got my first license in second
half of the 70s.

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Sorry OM, If you had an Extra Class license when I was young you would be dead now.

I've been continuously licensed for 69 years this May 26th.

QRZ dot.com says WB5V is a silent key. I guess the recent holder passed away, so you can reclaim your call.

For my Extra Class license I had to pass the code test at 20 WPM in person at the FCC along with a written test that was not watered down.

@tempcinamdar 5 Chihuahuas. These (I wish I can swear) dogs make enough noise to keep everybody away from your home. Plus electronic security. I don't live in a gated community but my property here is walled off completely. With two German Shepherds, I never feel concern.

`

A common Philippine's security measure ..

Also seen in the Philippines .. works well, if you've four old tyres and spray paint :-)

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You must live in a great area to require the pic's you posted toot toot toot.

The tyre snake is a great garden piece though.

OMO.

Cheers, Steve.

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What a waste of San Miguel.

Gated and walled development with armed guards, patrolling and posted. Still had some break ins tho in this community. We have vigilant neighbors, and will be looking into neighborhood watch including monitored street cameras, and of course CCTV