The Complete Apartment Security Guide

While renting an apartment living often comes with a lot of perks, it also comes with a higher risk of break-ins and home intrusions. Often the security in apartments is lacking, that is why looking into adding your own security system is crucial.

There are some great advantages when you live in an apartment community, you can get access to amenities like gyms and pools, which are a nice feature when you are renting. But you also need to make sure that you have all of the security you need to keep you and your family safe.

There are things you should consider when you are looking for a new apartment to move into. While you may be focused on the number of bathrooms, it is also important that you don’t overlook security. By following these steps you can better assess the level of security you need before you sign a lease.

The first and most important thing you can do to make sure that the location you are interested is safe is to observe everything. While you may like the look and the location of the apartment, you should make sure that you are reviewing everything.

You should always check your surroundings, that includes the grounds, stairways, walkways, parking lots, building entrances or apartment entrances. You want to make sure that the property is well lit and that elevators and stairs are easy to access.

It is also a good idea to check areas where an intruder could hide, like laundry facilities. If you see something that concerns you, you may want to continue your search for the right apartment. You should never feel like your personal safety is at risk in your apartment or in the community.

Here are some additional tips that can help you evaluate the apartment community before you move in.

Assess Your Surroundings

When you are asking about an apartment you are interested in, most good sales people aren’t going to quote crime statistics. That is why you need to do the research yourself.  You can often research online at sites like Crimemaping.com, Spotcrime.com, and CrimeReports.com and see if any robberies or other crimes have been committed on the property or in the area.

You can also talk to the local police department, and even to people who currently live in apartments that would be near to the one you want to rent.

Check to Make Sure The Property is Well Kept

While your new place may look great when you do the walkthrough there are some things you should look for before you move in. If you see things like water stains, broken windows or damaged drywall, you may want to reconsider. You will also want to make sure that basic maintenance to the landscaping and walkways is taking place.

How the landlord or property manager takes care of the community will give you insight into how seriously they take the security of all of their tenants. If you don’t think the care about the property, it may be a sign that you need to keep on searching.

You will also want to make sure that your new place is well lit. Typically someone that means to do harm to you won’t want hide in plain sight. So if you have areas of your community like hallways and entrance ways that aren’t well lit you should address that with the landlord or property manager.

If they aren’t willing to repair or add new lights in places like your stairways or laundry facilities you may want to consider looking for another place to live.

When you take a tour of the apartment there are some things you should be looking for:

• Does the main door have a peephole that you can see out of clearly. If not you should ask if one can be added. Opening the door without knowing who it outside presents a clear a security risk.
• Make sure that entry to your building is secure. You should ask if there is a key code or key to the exterior doors.
• Request that the locks in your new apartment be replaced if they haven’t been already. And while many apartment communities may rotate locks, you should ask for a new lock. If someone trying to break-in or rob an apartment knows that locks are rotated, they could use a key that could open your lock.
• Check all of the window locks to ensure that they are secure and cannot be compromised. People that want to break-in can find a way, it is your job to make sure that you don’t give them a way to enter your home.

Check for Ways to Escape in the Event of an Emergency

There are two reasons you want to check on emergency exits, the first is pretty obvious, you need a way to get to safety in the event of a fire or other emergency. The second reason you want to check on how your emergency exits operate is to make sure that no one can use your way out to safety as a way in to rob your apartment or worse.

If you have fire escapes make sure that the ladders aren’t accessible by someone trying to break in. Once you feel confident that the community you live in is safe there are still a few things that you will want to do after moving in.

Now that you are in your new home you will want to make sure you have a plan in place for your home security.

• Make sure that all of the sliding doors are secure: one of the most tempting options for someone trying to break-in is a sliding door. Most of these doors don’t have locks that are sufficient enough to keep an intruder out. In addition to always keeping the doors locked, you should also place a pole into the track. There are also stick on locks that can prevent the door from being opened.
• Buy better blinds: most of the time the blinds provided by your landlord or property manager aren’t the most secure. If you are at street level investing in blinds that can block out any view from the outside can keep your home safe by closing off access to seeing what electronics or other valuables that are in your home.
• Add a few locks: while you most likely have a deadbolt on your door, you can also look at adding some additional locks like a chain lock to keep someone who is trying to force your door open from being successful. If for some reason you main door doesn’t have a deadbolt, you should add one as soon as possible.
• Buy renters insurance: while the property you live in may be protected by insurance your valuables are not. You can usually get a decent renters insurance policy for less than $20 per month. This policy will protect your personal belongings and replace them at full value. Renters insurance can also protect you should any damage occur in your apartment.
• Purchase a safe: adding a safe can help you keep items of value, even sentimental value, safe from an intruder who has broken into your apartment. You can buy a decent safe for around $100. But buying a safe isn’t enough, you will need to place the safe in a location where someone cannot find it. You can also talk to your property manager about securing it to the floor or wall which can make it harder for someone who is trying to steal it.
• Add a home security system: apartments are at a higher risk for a break-in, which means even if you do everything on this list you may still find yourself coming home to find your valuables are gone. There are some solid options when it comes to adding a home security system for your apartment that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.

Don’t share your vacation plans or photos until you are home

Social media is awesome, and I get the need to make all of your friends jelly by forcing them to look at you on a jet ski or kite surfing. But you can do all of that when you get home. Sharing your pictures while you are away will let anyone and everyone that follows you know that you aren’t home.

So unless you want to put up a giant virtual billboard that lets people know you aren’t at home, just wait a bit and share them from your apartment that hasn’t been broken into because you are too smart to tell people you are on vaca.

These are some of our favorite home security options for renters

What we like about LifeShield…

LifeShield offers a wide variety of devices that can be easily integrated into apartment living. Their goal is to provide their customers with some of the most advanced home security devices around. Which makes them a good fit for someone who lives in an apartment.

Because all of LifeShields sensors are wireless and do not require direct power, they are easy to place and easy to move should you decide to reside somwhere else. You will need to have a power source for the cameras and the keypad, but both have a battery back-up should you lose power.

While most apartments have at least a smoke detector, you have to be there to contact the fire department in the event that it goes off. But Lifeshield has a solution for that. They provide a fire safety sensor that will listen for the alarm to go off and then contact their monitoring center and alert the fire department.

You can also control the system using a smartphone, tablet or laptop, which makes it an ideal solution for apartment dwellers. You can access an online portal that can show you all of the activity that has taken place in your home. Additionally, you can set up notifications by text or email, and view the live feed from your security cameras.

LifeShielsd also offers a package that is made just for renters. You can get a fee security system with the purchase of a monthly professional monitoring package , you will also have to pay an activation fee. They manufacture all of their own equipment, so you don’t have to try and figure out what company you need to contact should a devices stop working. You can just call them.

LifeShield uses a third party professional monitoring service to provide their service. Protection 1 provides you with monitoring seven days a week, 365 days a year. They have five UL listed centers in the United States. By using a redundant system they can use all five centers to monitor your service, which means if something happens to one center there are four other centers that can make sure that your home stays safe.

What we would like to see them do better…

There a few things we would like to see changed, or improved when it comes to LifeShield. The first if their customer service. They are rated as one of the lowest rated home security companies when it comes to customer service. While their rating has improved, they are still lacking. Customers common complaints are about billing and service issues.

This seems to be largely due to the acquisition of LifeShield by DirecTV after the deal was complete and DirecTV took ownership of LifeSheild the level of customer service was not the same level as it was with the original owners of LifeShield.

Something else we would like to see from LifeShield is a home automation offering, even a small one would be nice. Most home security providers are incorporating home automation devices into their home security offerings to provide their customers with a fully automated and secure home. So why with the power of DirecTV behind them they haven’t added one yet is something of a mystery.

What we like about Frontpoint…

If you are looking for great customer service, and you don’t mind home security devices that look a bit outdated, then Frontpoint is a great way to protect your apartment. Another nice thing is if you commit to a 36-month agreement you will get $300 off the price of the system.

As long as you keep your agreement you can move the system to a new location should you need to move. Because FrontPoint is 100% wireless it is easy to set up and requires no tools or skills. Which if you are me, is awesome. I love technology but I am not the handiest of girls.

In addition to being completely wireless, Frontpoint also provides their monitoring services using a cellular connection. Which means you will never lose service, even if your wireless connection or power goes out.

When it comes to equipment, you own it. And as the owner of your equipment, you can pack it up and move it whenever and to wherever you want. You also don’t have to pay a fee to get your security system delivered, it will arrive within days of you buying it.

And should you hate everything you were sent, you have 30 days to return it and get all of your money back, Frontpoint will even pay for you to ship it back to them. But should you want to stay, there are some other pretty sweet benefits that you can take advantage of for the price of on the house.

Yep, you get some free things. You will get fire, carbon monoxide, flood and life safety monitoring and you won’t have to pay anything additional to get it. Yay free things!

What we would like to see them do better…

While there is a lot to like about Frontpoint there are a few things that we think they could improve upon. Like their three-year equipment warranty, we are seeing more and more lifetime warranties on equipment even when you purchase it outright, it would be nice to see Frontpoint extend their warranty period.

Another thing we like is more than one contract option. While you can take the system with you wherever you go, what if you just don’t like it. If you are outside of the 30 day period you will find yourself paying a fair amount to end your contract.

 

What we like about SimpliSafe…

Another system that we like for renters is SimpliSafe, it is a fully wireless DIY home security system that has a professional monitoring option. They are also free of any contractual obligations. So you can end your service at any time without the fear of a large cancellation fee.

If you fear a system that is DIY because the last time you tried to install something it ended up with you getting a concussion (which happened to me), I can tell you that even I could put together my SimpliSafe package. And if I can do it, you can absolutely do it.

There are several packages that you can choose from, which is great if you are currently living in a smaller apartment. Each package will provide you with the equipment you need to keep you and your belongings safe.

One of the things that used to be missing from SimpliSafe’s equipment lineup was a camera. SimpliSafe recently addressed that by adding a night vision camera that comes with a built-in motion detector. It is currently in Beta Release, but to know that you can add it is something to look forward to.

SimpliSafe has two options when it comes to their professional monitoring service. Both provide 24-hour protection and a cellular connection, and neither of them requires a contract. The contract thing is kind of a big deal, as it is not often that you can find a professional monitoring option that doesn’t tie you in for at least twelve months.

What we would like to see them do better…

One thing that hasn’t seemed to change, outside of the addition of a new security camera, is the way SimpliSafes devices look. They continue to look cheap and plastic. While most of the devices we use are plastic, there is something dated about the way most of their devices look.

We also wish that SimpliSafe’s devices would integrate with other third party devices to allow users to build a home automation system that includes their devices. And we wouldn’t mind one bit if they improved their mobile apps.

Some suggestions for your new apartment

Having lived in an apartment for a while, I am happy to share with you.

1. Make sure that you always secure your patio doors, and never leave anything on the patio that you don’t want to be stolen. But if have some things that you want to get rid of, by all means, leave them out.
2. If you meet someone who lives in your building, no matter how attractive they are, don’t date them. Should your relationship end, you will see them all the time. And worse you may see them with someone else. So my advice is to save yourself the heartache and just be friends.
3. Consider adding a better lock to your patio as well, especially if you are on the ground floor.
4. You should get to know the people who manage and maintenance the property that you live on. This allows you to know when someone unfamiliar may be at your door so you can contact the rental office to confirm they work there.
5. Check every exterior door to make sure its locked before you leave your apartment.
6. If you don’t already have one, create a social media site where you can connect with your neighbors and share things that may be suspicious.
7. Buy sensors that allow you to turn your lights on and off from a smartphone app to make it look like you are home when you are away.
8. Check everything, and then check it again before you move in, you don’t want to miss something that you may regret later.

Moving into a new apartment, especially when it’s your first home is an exciting time. And while it is easy to get excited about buying furniture for your new place, you should also take the time to evaluate the level of security in your apartment. You also need to know that the property is well kept and secure you want to make sure that you are in a place that you can feel safe living in.

You should look for surveillance cameras, and check the lighting on walkways and building entrances. You should also make sure that there are cameras and proper lighting in laundry rooms and other common areas where you could be at risk.

And last but not least you should add a security system, you can find options that are affordable and apartment friendly. Apartments are one of the first targets for intruders, which makes adding additional security a must.

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