Your home is where you should feel the safest, but its too often the target of thieves and other criminals. According to home security experts, there are approximately 2.5 million burglaries committed annually. A whopping 66 percent of these burglaries involve home break ins. This can be very frightening, whether you live in the city or out in the suburbs.
When you’re living in the city, you’re most probably renting an apartment or similar shared residence. The duty of beefing up the place’s security should fall to the landlord or super but there are ways that you can improve it yourself. Below are 7 tips on how you can improve your apartment security and get a good night’s sleep.
- Change Lighting Fixtures
Criminals and would-be burglars prefer to work in dim lighting or darkness because it gives them the cover they need to go uninterrupted. The lighting fixtures around your apartment may inadvertently help burglars if they’re not bright enough. Check all the lightbulbs near your apartment’s doors and windows and replace any that are flickering or giving off low light. If you can, attach wire cages or similar protection around them to prevent intentional damage.
- Add a Peephole
Sometimes burglars get into apartments by the easiest method: being let in by the residents. Burglars can knock and claim to be injured or an employee of some sort. A peephole on your door can help you look out into the hallway and determine whether a person knocking on your door is who they say they are. Remember that a peephole works better in conjunction with other apartment security measures.
- Install a Deadbolt or Security Chain
Sometimes you will have to open a door to talk to someone outside. Not to mention you won’t be able to keep an eye on the door when you’re asleep. A simple doorknob won’t be able to withstand concentrated efforts of a burglar, but a deadbolt or a security chain might.
Talk to your landlord or super about installing a set of these security measures to make your door more resistant to burglary attempts. Remember to secure these chains when you go to bed to keep your apartment safe.
- Install Window Bars
Window panes don’t provide much protection from interlopers unless they’re made of security glass. A determined enough burglar can simply smash a windowpane to enter your apartment. Window bars provide your apartment with more protection than your average pane. These can be a little costly to install but as long as you make sure you still have a viable emergency exit through your window, they are amazing security measures.
- Use Three-Inch Screws
Doors are often attached to their frames with stubby one-inch screws. A burglar who really wants to enter your home can violently kick it down and even a deadbolt won’t hold them back. You can replace these one-inch screws with longer, sturdier three-inch screws. This will make them harder to kick down or rip off the frames. However, you should talk to your landlord before making such an improvement to your apartment security.
- Discuss Keyholders
Even if you live alone in your apartment, you must have more than one copy of your key that you’ll give to other people. This will let you access your apartment in the event that you lose your own key. Your landlord is probably one of these keyholders, but you may have others like a neighbor or a friend.
Discuss security measures with keyholders. Can they give your keys to someone else? Should they be the one to open the door if someone else wants to get inside your apartment? These discussions are vital in keeping your keys and the security of your apartment safe.
- Get a Safe
You may have a few very valuable objects lying around the house and your apartment security may not be enough to keep them safe. You may want to get a vault or small safe to put your valuable inside. These can be a little pricey, depending on the size of the safe in question. But they are worth the investment because, unless the burglars are well-prepared, you can expect your most important possession to remain safe even after a break in. But do consider the best places to hide your safe to keep it inaccessible.
Apartment security is a primary concern for all city residents, but too many leave such arrangements to their landlords or apartment owners. Take the initiative yourself and beef up any and all security measures on your own. This won’t just keep your belongings safe, it will also give you some much needed peace of mind.
