There are plenty of responsibilities that come along with buying your own house. It’s more than just financial matters. Being a homeowner also concerns checking and keeping the security and condition of your home. It’s even more notable with bigger houses, as it comes with spending more on living expenses and managing a more ample space.

With that, it just makes sense that more and more individuals presently opt to live in smaller houses. Specifically, tiny homes on wheels are becoming more popular, especially among young professionals. After all, it’s more than the monetary and psychological obligations of living in a larger house. It’s said that a substantial number of individuals who reside in tiny homes do so for fun. Building your own tiny homes on wheels may be exciting if you’re into do-it-yourself (DIY).

Although tiny houses are cute and many dream of living in them, homes on wheels have disadvantages. Usually, these disadvantages are trade-offs for the perks of living in such a tiny house like more manageable financial obligations and others. 

For instance, while it’s good to move your house wherever you like, the bad news is that other individuals can run away with it. So, what practical measures can you apply to ensure your house, particularly your tiny house on wheels, doesn’t get stolen by thieves and other criminal elements? What security practices can you use to safeguard your home? 

The good news is that you can take steps to secure your tiny house on wheels. When asked by the Porch.com we gave the quick answer below they posted in this comprehensive tiny house article:

How can I secure my tiny house?

Like many things, preventive actions go a long way. And when it comes to securing your tiny home, it’s something you shouldn’t take lightly. These top three preventive actions you can take will up your tiny home security game to the next level.

1. Adding wheel locks and/or ball hitch locks whenever you’re parked

2. Installing wifi enabled security cameras on the exterior and interior of your tiny home

3. Equipping your tiny house with a small GPS tracking device, like Airtags, gives you peace of mind that you’ll always know exactly where your tiny home is.

These simple yet effective precautions will highly reduce the likelihood of security related issues and the GPS is a solid failsafe for the off-chance someone decides to run off with your tiny home.

The best part? All three of these take very little time to install and thanks to advances in technology they are relatively economical as well.

-Zach at Tinyhouse.com

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While that's a quick helpful response, we've broken it down even further. Read on below to find out more.

1. Make Your Home Less Mobile

One primary strategy to secure your tiny house on wheels is to make it less mobile. To be sure, you could have a small house built on a foundation, yet you could also temporarily place your home on jack stands or blocks. 

You could hide your tiny house’s wheels so that thieves will not be able to maneuver and move your tiny home. This method isn’t ideal if you travel a lot with your home, yet it’s a less expensive and effortless option for anyone living in one place for a while.

The last method is to block your tiny home’s wheels with the use of a wheel lock. Traffic police use similar tools for cars that are parked illegally. Wheel locks need special keys in order for them to be disabled. They offer security. Thieves would require heavy-duty equipment to take out the lock and pry it open. And so, this can put off most illegal actors who are planning to cart off your tiny home away. 

On the other hand, the only disadvantage to these locks is that they’re costly to buy outright. Yet, if you note how much of your valuable belongings can be lost when your house is taken away by would-be thieves, the money spent can be worthwhile.

Overall, if you decide to move your home somewhere else, you can use hooks and hoists that you can buy online as a supplemental security feature. 

2. Use Global Positioning System (GPS) Technology

If you bought a smartphone recently, you might have to install a phone-finding application so you can find it remotely if ever it’s stolen or lost. The same goes for tiny houses on wheels. 

If ever thieves have sidestepped your security measures, using a GPS device placed somewhere undetectable in your tiny home will help to lead you to its proper location. Various companies design different tracking devices tailored particularly for tiny houses, so there are many options on the market depending on your requirements.

You can find accompanying monitoring services on most of these devices too. This allows for better surveillance and others. They typically cost a handful of dollars monthly as a subscription. Having them is considered as a fair deal for they add another layer of protection and security to your tiny home on wheels. 

You can even buy a cheap smartphone with a location tracking feature to use in your tiny house on wheels. This is more of a DIY method. To do this, you need to handpick a phone that’s durable, has a long battery life, is compact, and the like. You can place the phone away in an inconspicuous area so thieves won’t notice and remove it. The caveat is that you’ll need to recharge the phone’s battery from time to time to keep them on all the time. 

3. Install Home Security Cameras

Installing a number of strategically-placed security cameras outside and inside your tiny house can ward-off potential thieves. Today, many home security cameras are now smart devices and streamed to the web. 

There are two types of security camera styles: those that use digital video recorder (DVR) to store videos locally and those that use the cloud to upload videos (i.e., remote DVR). Cameras that use local video recorders to store videos have a lot of benefits. For one, they can allow for higher quality video and don’t require the internet to function. Data retrieval is highly convenient but you may need to prepare a separate storage device for backup copies of your home security footage. 

On the other hand, internet-connected cameras need an internet connection to properly function. This allows you to store videos offsite where they can’t be destroyed by criminals that are looking to steal your tiny home on wheels. Your home’s internet or cellular network can suffice for such a camera to help you be more secure. Yet, be aware that if you don’t have a home network, cameras that use a cellular network are notably more costly, and you’ll have to obtain a data plan or package that can cover your home security cameras. 

Conclusion

A tiny house might be a fun place to live, especially for many young professionals or homeowner hopefuls who can’t buy a bigger home or prefer to live a mobile and unconventional lifestyle. Likewise, there are many ways to secure your tiny home on wheels if you decide to buy one in the near future or you already own a unit yourself as you’re reading this. Take note of the pieces of information above as your reference in securing your tiny house on wheels. 

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