Whether you’re a homeowner or a renter, protecting your family, your belongings, and your living space is a top priority.
Apartment security tends to be simpler and cheaper than protecting an entire house, especially if you’re above the ground floor and windows are difficult to reach. This is what you can do to keep your home safe:
Change Old Locks, Get a Strong Deadbolt
If you’re moving into a new place where you know little about the previous tenants, get your locks swapped out. Who knows how many copies of the key they made to hand out to family and friends?
A lock change fee is a small price to pay for the certainty that you know the identities of everyone who has access to your home. Once you’ve done that, you’ll want to consider investing in a deadbolt.
Sounds like overkill?
Doorknobs aren’t secure; their primary function is to prevent wind from opening the door.
Deadbolts are what keep people from doing the same.
Deadbolts require specialized tools while door handles can be unlocked with something as simple as a credit card. Invest in a dual-cylinder deadbolt designed to be resistant to lockpicks and bump keys, as those will delay would-be intruders from gaining entry.
Every minute you waste a burglar’s time, the more likely they are to give up and find an easier target.
Secure Windows with Window Laminate
There is a common misconception that living on a higher floor of a building will deter any burglar from choosing your apartment to break in rather than someone on the ground floor. Every building is built different, with some point of entry being more favorable on higher levels.
Standard glass shatters easily, making your home vulnerable to forced entry. Window laminate adds an impact-resistant layer to your glass, keeping shards from flying everywhere. You can see how effective this can be in the image below.
Window laminate also prevents people from cutting through your window using glass cutters. Whether it’s dangerous individuals or hurricanes, hail or flying baseballs, your windows will be far more difficult to break.
Get a Durable Safe
Bolt it to the floor to stop burglars from simply stealing your safe. Don’t go cheap either. Cheap safes combine cheap metal casing with fragile plastic parts, so they can be broken into with something like a Sawzall. Put your valuables in it, your sentimental keepsakes, and essential documents or records. For example, you’ll want your birth and marriage certificates, employment info, bank information, passports, old IDs, and all that stuff locked away.
The only drawback with high-quality fire-proof safes is the expense involved, with prices starting at around $1,000.
If you’re not prepared to make that investment, consider using concealment products like those at Tactical Walls.
Don’t Leave Window A/C Units in the Window
This one goes for anyone who’s on the ground floor of a home or an apartment. It won’t be long before the stifling summer heat returns, and everyone’s putting these devices back in their windowsills. I’m not saying don’t use them at all; in many cases, we have no choice when many older homes lack proper cooling systems.
As important as they may be to keeping us cool, window A/C units also make breaking into your home incredibly easy for burglars. All they have to do is kick in the A/C and climb in. They could even take your A/C while they’re at it. If you’re going on vacation or your home will be empty for an extended period, bring in the A/C unit and reinstall it when you return.
Renters need complete home protection as much as homeowners do. Watch our video to find out why Honeywell Lyric systems are great for people who aren’t living in one location long-term.
