Home Security For Apartments And Condos
Home security
for houses has been thoroughly covered on many occasions, but what about security for those
living in apartments or condos? Apartment break-ins are as common as house break-ins, mainly
because of two factors: the lack of information about apartment security and the lack of
home security equipment designed for these settings. The following article will try to shed
some light on this subject and offer apartment and condo owners some alternative security
and prevention methods.
The first thing
you can do in order to prevent future problems with burglars is checking the surroundings of
your flat when thinking of buying your apartment or condo. It’s quite obvious that the
type of neighborhood you will be living in will allow you to make an estimation on the type
of home security you need.
Since
you’re limited to the kind of security improvements you will be allowed to make to your
flat and its surroundings, make sure that the entire place is well lit, that there’s
some form of security to the main entrance (a security guard assigned to the main entrance,
an intercom and so forth) and that there are no other opportunities for a burglar to take
advantage of before signing the deal.
Now, assuming
that you’ve just moved in the apartment, it’s wise to follow a couple of rules
from now on and turn them into natural home security habits instead of daily chores:
-
Change your lock immediately, even
if it’s a new apartment and no one lived there previously.
-
If you think your lock is prone to
being picked while you’re away from home (that is, if you’re living in a bad
neighborhood or some of your neighbor’s apartments have been broken into this way) you
might want to try out an “unpickable” lock such as a deadbolt.
-
Never leave your windows open when
you’re not home. Fire escapes or other objects that a burglar could use to climb up to
and get to your window are potential threats to your home’s security.
-
Always lock your door, even when
you’re home. A stealthy thief can open your door and steal anything of value he can lay
his hands on near the entrance in a matter of seconds while you’re in the bathroom or
kitchen.
-
If the flat’s hallway lights go
out, it’s the flat’s owner job to fix them, but it’s better for your own (and
your neighbor’s) security to replace the light bulbs as fast as possible, in order to
stop any robbery attempts that would take advantage of the dark.
-
This one’s a classic: use your
peephole. You’ve probably been told this a dozen times while you were a kid and for
good reasons. Not necessarily because a burglar will take you down once the door is open and
steal everything in sight, but some burglars simple use the “may I borrow
something” technique just to scout out your apartment and see if you have anything of
value or figure a way to break in. In addition, use a door chain to offer you more
protection. Remember that these two preventive methods are not only for home security, but
also for your own personal security.
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