Apartment safety starts before you enter your unit. I once had a brand new credit card stolen out of the exterior mailbox at my apartment building. This picking of a cheap lock could have been countered by a variety of measures. These range from: no-tech – a better lock; low-tech – daily mail notifications that alerted me to check for the card; or Smart – a networked camera catching the thief in the act.
It’s best to prioritize options that actually prevent apartment thefts and break-ins from happening. Unlike after my lucky experience, your credit card company probably won’t absorb the price of a property crime. Making it harder for robbers to get in also keeps you safer.
Begin with Low-Tech Apartment Safety Measures that Simply Work
Your front door should be made of metal or solid, not hollow core, wood – ask when touring apartments. These materials stand up to brute force entry attempts. Add a single-cylinder deadbolt to keep the door physically closed when locked with a key. Install a chain for additional security even once you’ve opened the door a crack.
Lock your windows when you’re not using them, and close them before you leave the apartment. Add security film to windows, especially to your sliding glass door. It keeps the glass from shattering open even if hit with a hammer. Install inexpensive, stick-on, battery-powered window and door alarms that sound an alert when a window or door opens.
Keep lights on, inside and out, when it’s dark. Maintain the illusion that you’re home, and eliminate shadows that could give a thief cover. Motion-detector lighting outside your apartment, especially on balconies or porches, turns on when someone’s there and scares them away if they shouldn’t be. Set up simple mechanical timers to toggle inside lamps to turn on and off automatically.
Investigate and plan ahead to stay fire safe. Know that apartment building exit and stairwell doors act as firebreaks. Check on your smoke alarm, fire extinguisher, and emergency lights and notify your property manager of anything that needs repair. Put together an escape plan.
Sign up for Informed Delivery through the USPS to receive daily photos of your mail and previews of package arrival dates. Download the UPS and Fedex apps and keep a close check on your Amazon account. Knowing what’s coming helps you verify receipt.
Select Smart Apartment Safety Solutions to Fit Your Habits
Select Smart solutions – those controlled through a smartphone app – when they assist you in specific situations. Upsides include remote and automated controls, monitoring, and energy efficiency. Keep in mind, though, the real downsides around privacy, cost, and electricity or Internet outages. If you struggle with tech, get a friend or the pros out to help you set up.
Install Smart locks if you need to give temporary remote access to your place. Road warrior? Gain peace of mind by checking your locks from your phone. Create a more sophisticated on/off pattern with your lights through Smart lighting systems. If you’re frequently gone, setting up varying patterns across the week more closely mimics an occupied apartment.
The best Smart alarm system for your apartment is, “Flexible, removable, and affordable.” Look for stick-on monitors that leave no holes in your walls and stay away from long-term contracts that box you in should you decide to move. Typical full-apartment packages include entry sensors for your doors and windows, motion sensors to enable when you leave or go to bed, glass break sensors, a sign and keypad.
Unlike the low-tech options, you control and receive alerts about each component from an app and/or keypad. Advanced options include external monitoring by a third party. Seniors and frequent travelers would benefit from this additional oversight of any security breaches.
Look closely at adding a keyhole-mounted security camera that gives you a 24-7 view of your doorstep. You’ll gain evidence should a package go missing, and can check from the bedroom before considering whether to answer the door. Smart systems give you time stamps to check the feed should an external sensor or motion alarm sound.
Tread carefully, though, before adding any inside cameras. Whether you rightly worry about hackers, or have read stories of law enforcement gaining access through the companies that make these, most helpful uses of internal cameras pale in comparison to the risks. Don’t install a mechanism that could enable someone else to know everything about your daily life.
Buy Renter’s Insurance If You Can’t Afford to Replace Everything You Own
In understanding renter’s insurance, note that the cost of replacing your possessions dictates how much coverage you need. Make a spreadsheet of your belongings. Take videos of them, too. Then price out the cost of replacing them. If you’re a thrift shopper, take this into account when tallying the price tags.
Renter’s insurance keeps you from losing everything in the event of a theft, natural disaster, or the carelessness of a neighbor’s water leak or fire. It doesn’t cover an actual flood or earthquake damage. Choose enough Personal Possessions coverage for the total amount required to replace your things.
Think through options on the deductible, the amount you’d pay out of pocket before the insurance company takes over. Higher deductibles reduce your premium costs. Consider the amount of total loss you could absorb when looking at the trade-off in monthly expenses. Know, too, that Actual Cash Value pays out the used value of your things. It saves you upfront money but may not adequately get you back on your feet if you need to replace your belongings at the then market price.
Your policy also includes Liability Protection, for lawsuits or bodily injury and Additional Living Expenses, which kicks in should you need to live elsewhere for a time. When shopping for a policy, look at costs, deductible, and coverage amount. Also search online with the name of the company and the words, “credit rating.” Stay away from any low rated companies, since the insurer needs sufficient resources to stay in business and pay on your claim.
Look Beyond the Basics: Often Overlooked Safety Tips
Say hello to your neighbors and build a community by getting to know those in your building. You’ll keep a closer eye out for each other. You might hold each other’s packages. Look into other options for safe package delivery as well. If your building doesn’t contain a monitored mail room or parcel locker, consider alternate delivery options like offsite parcel lockers or having packages held at UPS, Fedex, or USPS sites.
Do not use the default username and password for your Wi-Fi network. Change both to something complex, otherwise you risk an easy entry point for your Smart apartment technology and any other information you send over Wi-Fi.
Last tip: download the free Noonlight app and practice using it ahead of time. As Medea Giordana at Wired writes, “The best safety apps are simple to use in a panicked situation, and Noonlight is as simple as it gets.”
