Considering Home Safety While Living In An Apartment

Home is where the heart is so whether you live in a house, apartment, or condo home security should be a top priority. Apartments residents tend to not think too much about home security and this is often a dangerous thing to overlook. Individuals who rent apartments should be just as worried about their safety and security as anyone else. Investing in some type of home security system is still the best way to deter crime even when you are living in an apartment. Since apartments are communities that are connected even more tightly than houses there are different safety issues to consider. In apartments people live just a wall apart either side by side or above and below.

Within apartment complexes people live just a wall, floor, or ceiling apart. This makes apartment holders incredibly tightly knit just by the design of most complexes. And because of this apartment residents must take their neighbors safety into consideration even more. Some of the easiest ways for criminals to enter apartments is by being let in by a resident or by coming in through a propped open door. You should never let strangers into an apartment complex or let anyone that you do not recognize in if they say they lost their key. Immediately direct these people to the manager. And of course, never leave doors or gates propped open.

Apartment residents tend to be extremely close in proximity which means there is more of a chance that a person will hear a commotion if their neighbor's apartment has been invaded. Burglars who invade apartments consider this and tend to carry weapons even more often in apartment invasions. One of the main reasons for this is that they need to threaten violence to keep the victim quiet. These burglars also tend to have different motivations for committing an apartment invasion. Generally, their crimes are more violent as they are often not looking to just steal goods. This is one of the main reasons why having a home security system or some type of alarm system is so essential.

When choosing an apartment there are a few things you should consider that regard your safety. It is a good idea to really learn the property. Does it have a gated entrance and gated parking lot? Do you notice any broken door locks? Take a good look at the garage areas, driveways, laundry room, mail room, and so on. You want to beware of areas in the complex that could potentially be a hiding place for home invaders. Also, make sure that these types of areas are well lit 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

A few of the other things you should consider are the locks. If your entrance is more private, the outside door should have locks and if their is a hallway it should be well lit. Also, your apartment's doors should be well secured with at least a dead bolt lock. It is a very good idea to have the locks changed immediately after you move in as well. This helps reduce the chance that anyone else will have a key to your apartment unless you give it to them. Check to make sure that if there are fire escapes they are not accessible to anyone on the ground. Lastly, before putting your signature on the lease make sure that the maintenance crew and the landlord are good about quickly attending to any concerns or fixes you need in your home. Having broken window locks or loose lock on your balcony doors should be attended to promptly.