Apartment Safety Basics
Don’t be so excited about decorating your bedroom and getting your Internet hooked up that you forget about safety. Apartments.com wants to make sure you’re taken care of and while we can’t replace your mothers (sigh), we can offer some friendly advice to make your apartment a place where you’ll feel safe and sound.
Our biggest “mom” tip is to purchase renter’s insurance to protect your valuables. Even with insurance you still need to take steps to protect yourself. Here are some other easy ways to make you, your apartment and your belongings much safer.
Do…
- Write only your last name or initials on your mailbox.
- Although you may have to pay a small fee, it’s a good idea to have an unlisted phone number for safety reasons. Having an unlisted number will also cut down on solicitation calls.
- Make sure the locks on all doors leading into your apartment have been changed since the last tenant was living there. You may need to make copies of your keys for roommates but most apartment owners forbid copies made for anyone not living in the apartment. This includes your best friend, boy/girlfriend and parents. For safety reasons, keep copies of keys in your hands only.
- Apartment doors should all have peephole viewers. If you don’t have one, ask your landlord to install one.
- On the elevator, avoid riding alone with a stranger. If you get stuck with someone you do not know, stand near the control panel so you can exit in an emergency or if the stranger makes you feel uncomfortable in any way.
- Stay alert when entering your apartment. Don’t talk on your cell phone or look preoccupied when walking toward your building. Criminals look for a weak target and are more likely to pass up someone who appears focused, aware and strong.
- Report bad lighting or overgrown shrubbery to your landlord. You are never being too picky when it comes to your safety.
- Inventory the description, serial number and cost of your valuables. Keep a copy of your records online, in a fire-proof locked box or in a safe deposit box in a bank. Take pictures of your most valuable items and attach those to your receipts to make any insurance claims run as smoothly as possible.
- Keep a broom handle or other long stick in the track of sliding glass doors. This may deter a break in.
- Purchase light timers and set them so that your lights turn on when you’re away from home in the evening.
- Take in your newspaper and packages on a daily basis.
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