While living in an apartment building might be a little bit different than living in a house, there are still a lot of things to keep in mind when it comes to safety that carry over. For instance, remembering to always shut and lock your doors and windows. But some other things, like how to correctly handle common spaces and whether or not you let in a maintenance person when your landlord hasn’t mentioned it, are unique only to apartment living. Whether it’s your first time in a high-rise or you are simply looking to refresh yourself on the best ways possible to keep yourself safe while living in an apartment building, here are ten simple steps towards better apartment home security that apply to just about anywhere.
10. Know your neighborhood. If you’re new to the area, figure out if there is anything suspicious nearby that you should be avoiding late at night, learn the best spots to park, and where walking is okay and where it isn’t. That’s an important part of starting to feel safe in a new place.
9. Realize your car alarm can be your home alarm system. If you’re on the steps of your building and someone tries to mess with you, keep those car keys in hand and press the alarm button. You might be able to scare them away, and use that as sort of a home alarm to protect you while on the steps.
8. Leave some lights on. It might not seem as important for an apartment, but if you leave lights on in the windows that face the street, you’re making your space look busy and occupied to would-be robbers who might be casing it.
7. Ask for ID. If someone comes to the building and says they are installing cable, fixing plumbing, or anything else, don’t hesitate to ask for ID. If they provide you with a phone number, opt to look the business up in the Yellow Pages instead, so you can make sure you’re not getting swindled. And don’t hesitate to call and double-check with your landlord that there is supposed to be someone doing repairs.
6. Shut the windows. Even if it’s a really hot summer, you need to remember to shut and lock windows. This goes double if you are remotely close to a fire escape or other easy entry point for would-be robbers.
5. Be alert. When you’re coming home, don’t be juggling groceries, your cell phone, and a million other things. Pay attention to who is around you on the street. Just because you can see your building doesn’t mean you should be irresponsible. Your home security starts the minute you’re on your way into the apartment building, not when you open the door to your own place.
4. Do laundry during daylight hours. If you can, this is a big step towards staying safe. Laundry rooms in apartment buildings are often loud, secluded, and don’t allow for cell phone signal. That makes it an ideal place for someone with malicious intentions, and not the best spot to be at three in the morning. If you have a friend in the building, try to not do laundry alone, if you can.
3. Know your neighbors. If you don’t know someone, don’t hold the door open for them. It’s as simple as that. Once you get to know people, then you can be friendly enough to extend this courtesy. And anyone who has lived with older people in the same building will tell you that sometimes, they get angry when you DO hold the door, lest you be doing the same thing for criminals.
2. Set your home alarm system. Since alarm companies have made it so that alarms are able to travel and move along with their customers, you don’t need to worry about whether or not it’s a good investment for your studio or one-bedroom. But if you forget to set it, it will never do its job. So always arm it when you’re leaving.
1. Keep your keys in your hand. It sounds so simple, but people forget to do this all the time, and find themselves standing on the porch in the middle of the night, fumbling in a bag or pocket to find house keys. Save yourself this trouble and potential danger, and just keep your keys in your hand from the moment you exit your car or the subway/bus.
By: Levi MortensonAbout the Author: