Apartment Safety: Keeping Your Rental Secure

By Zy Mazza

As a renter, you might think comparing different potential rentals is quite easy given all the information you can find on apartment search websites like uCribs. You can compare rents, see what the kitchens and bathrooms look like, and normally get a full list of community and unit amenities. However, one major factor that is not so easy to compare is the safety of rentals. Sure, you can see the neighborhood and what is located immediately around the property, but, this only gives you part of the story. A ‘safe’ neighborhood does not guarantee you will be safe.

Apartment safety is often a top concern for renters when evaluating places to live. Even if you live in a safe neighborhood, and your building has all of the modern safety features, it does not make you 100% safe from potential crime. By following these guidelines, you can ensure that you’re doing what’s necessary to keep the building safe.

Do not let strangers past locked doors

Seems like common sense, right? However, watch a locked building and see how many people are let in past locked doors. If someone you don’t know rings you to get buzzed in, don’t let them in. It may seem awkward to not let someone in, but this is the most common way a criminal can get into a building. This obviously doesn’t apply if your building has a doorman on duty.

If you see something, say something

Many times, the first line of defense in crime prevention at communities are the residents. If a crime is being committed, chances are someone will see something. If you see something out of place, say something. You don’t necessarily have to call the police, unless an obvious crime or emergency, but at the very least you should definitely mention something to building security.

Know your neighbors, building security, and maintenance workers

The two tips above assume that you probably don’t know the person. However, there is a high likelihood the person trying to get in the building could be your neighbor who is locked out. If you don’t know who’s supposed to be in your building, it gets a lot harder to tell who is and who is not supposed to be there. Knowing your neighbors is also a good, common sense practice because you can text or call each other when something shifty is going on. Knowing your neighbors helps create a sense of community, and studies have shown that this leads to an overall better sense of security. After all, if you know your neighbor, you are more likely to look out for their interests.

If it has a lock, keep it locked

A lot of buildings have communal mailboxes. While stealing mail is a federal crime, if you don’t keep yours locked, don’t be surprised if your packages somehow disappear. If you’re out of the house, lock your door. If you’re in the house, lock the door. Many crimes can actually happen when someone is present in the home, as criminals know that most residents are not likely to lock the doors or set an alarm.

Trust yourself

If something is making you uncomfortable, trust your gut, and try to get it sorted out. Is the lighting outside of your building not sufficient? Does that plant outside your window feel like the perfect size to conceal a person? If you think something feels amiss, talk to your landlord to see if you can get it changed. Anything that makes you feel uncomfortable in your own living area is probably a hazard to your safety.

Following these tips will help keep you safe in any living environment. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a world where you can trust other people with your own safety, so it’s up to you to stay vigilant. Even the most secure buildings in the safest neighborhoods have crime.

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