How To Ensure Home Security Before Moving In?

While moving into a new house is wonderful, it's also crucial to consider the security risks that may arise. People want to avoid moving into a house only to discover several security flaws. Therefore, planning and taking measures to safeguard your new home before unpacking your belongings is important. This article will cover some easy precautions you may take before moving in to protect your home and possessions from potential intruders. Keep reading to learn more!

Apartment Security Tips for Renters: Before and After Moving-In

Become Familiar With The Locale

It would be best if you looked into the crime rate in the area before you move there. Check the crime statistics and learn as much as you can about your potential new neighbourhood. Alternatively, ask the locals what it's like to live there. The local police and shopkeepers will be your best sources of data.

Avoid places where theft and burglary are common. Even if your apartment in a dangerous area has a top-notch security system, you should still consider relocating to a less convenient location.

Ensure The Lights In Your Area Are Working

More burglaries occur in areas with a higher percentage of darkness. Therefore, assess the quality of the illumination in both your building and the surrounding area.

Places you frequent, such as the halls and parking lot, should be brightly illuminated. A common feature of newer buildings is motion-detecting lighting, which can be used to spot suspicious behaviour.

Keep Your Entrance Safe.

Your front door is the first defence against unwanted visitors and potential burglars. Make sure your new apartment building has a safe entryway before you move in.

Examine the safety features of the building itself, not just the one you're living in. For example, to prevent break-ins, most buildings possess security cameras and sometimes even a guard stationed at the front door. Try to find a new place to live if the one you're considering needs to include at least the bare minimum in security features.

You can increase the safety of your apartment's primary entrance by using supplementary chain locks, key codes, or remote unlocking systems. Always check with your landlord before making any modifications to your flat, including installing new locks. Installing door alarms is a good way to warn you and your neighbours of unwanted visitors.

Look For Telltale Signs Of Neglected Maintenance

Please address any small issues with the apartment, such as a leaky faucet or peeling paint, before moving in. These issues are evidence of either a negligent prior tenant or a landlord who doesn't care enough about the property. Of course, these are annoyances, but if you look closely, you can notice some commonalities in how your apartment building handles security.

Looking around for security holes is a good way to gauge how safe your building or complex is. Communicate immediately with your landlord if you find any indicators of inadequate maintenance, such as a damaged fence or malfunctioning security cameras.

Apartments with fewer occupants may have less stringent security measures.

Always Double-Check The Exits

Burglars frequently exploit escape routes as a means of entry. Check the apartment's safety by studying the building's fire escape plans and layouts. You should take additional safety measures if the emergency escape from your home can be reached easily.

Personal safety in times of crisis should be considered alongside security from would-be intruders. All smoke detectors should be tested, and fire extinguishers and some other emergency equipment should be easily accessible. The presence of fire escape ladders and other equipment for fighting fires facilitates the easiness with which a thief could break in.

Secure Your Windows

Your front door is only one of the entrances to your flat. Therefore, your windows should be equipped with a sturdy lock. Locks should be strong and simple to operate.

Extra security measures are warranted if you are a ground-floor dweller because it is simple to gain entry to your building. Protect your flat from intruders with window protection films if you don't have reinforced glass windows.

Safety measures for windows should be considered on par with those for doors. If you want to break into someone's residence, you must open a window. Most windows already have locks installed, but if yours doesn't, you may easily instal a set. Before doing so, you should check with your landlord or the leasing office or ask for this additional security step immediately. Tenants can choose the right window lock from the variety of temporary choices available.

It might seem common sense to ensure your apartment is locked whenever you leave it, but there is more to think about. First, be sure your windows and doors are locked and chain them up even when you are in the flat. Then, every night before you turn in, make it a practice to double-check that everything is locked.

Protect your home from intruders by keeping your curtains closed. When your curtains are down, especially if it's dark outside, it's easier for someone to peer inside and potentially scout out valuables, such as TVs and electronics. In addition, it can make your residence a target for crime. So close the curtains anytime you are out or at nightfall.

Safeguard Your Carport

Keep your car and other valuables secure in your garage if you are lucky enough to have one attached to your residence. First, install a door monitoring sensor that can report any attempted or actual garage break-ins. Next, invest in extra locks that can be used inside and outside the garage.

Personal Security Tools

A comprehensive security system is your best bet to safeguard your home, family, and valuables.

Connecting Mimic GOTM to your current devices like Alexa App speakers, security cameras, and more makes it one of the most innovative security companion solutions available.

You can lock down your entire home at the touch of a button.

Having a portable instrument that links together all of your different types of security equipment in one easy hub, from your screen door to your home apartment, is quite helpful.

It sends you a notification on your phone and sets off the alarms during a break-in, which should deter would-be intruders. It's the only system of its sort, making it one of the best home security options.

Insurance For Tenants

Renters can get the insurance that will pay for their losses in the event of a burglary. You should always ensure you are safe since bad things can and will happen no matter how careful you are.

Renter's insurance is typically inexpensive and can help you recoup a sizable percentage of your financial losses in the event of a covered peril or theft. However, never put your money at risk by not reading the fine print and learning how to get your money back.

If you park your car in a rented garage, any damages will be handled by your auto insurance company, not your homeowner's policy.

There is always a danger that something terrible will happen, even if all the safety precautions are taken. A renter's insurance coverage will reimburse you for lost possessions in the event of a burglary or theft. A renter's insurance policy often has a low monthly premium that increases dramatically in case of a claim. Some certain high rises and landlords will insist that their tenants carry renters insurance as a condition of signing a lease.

The Value Of A Safe Investment

Visitors and guests are often the ones to alert burglars to the presence of valuables in a home.

You should secure your valuables in a safe if you have visitors to your flat. A safe is the best place to store valuables such as money, jewels, and documents. Keep your firearm locked up in a safe place only you can access.

Having a second lock around your door is a good idea, even if the one you already have is effective at deterring burglars. Put all your precious possessions, like jewels, cash, and family heirlooms, in a safe. Then, if somebody were to enter your home, they would have a harder time getting away with your most prized possessions. Try anchoring the safe to the floor or wall to deter theft further.

Doors That Slide Should Be Fortified

Security bars for doors can only be installed on outward-opening hinged doors. In addition to the lock on the door, you may increase the safety of your flat by reinforcing the security of any sliding doors. It is crucial since latch locks on sliding doors are typically less secure than on regular doors. For example, insert a rod into the door's bottom track to stop it from sliding open. A broom handle or a stick designed for this purpose are only two examples of rods that would work within the track.

Get A New Key Made For The Front Door

For your safety, install new locks on any exterior doors before you move in.

Most likely, neither you nor anyone you know was given a set of keys by the outgoing tenant. If your landlord is unwilling to cover the expense, it is a tiny fee to pay to rest easy knowing who has access to your apartment. Furthermore, if there isn't a deadbolt or chain lock, you may choose to have one installed.

Put In A Live-Feed Camera

Putting a small, spherical camera on the mantel in the living room was one of the best investments for my rental property's safety.

Thanks to the camera's live feed, which you accessed via an app on my iPhone, it was easy to keep tabs on things in my apartment even when I wasn't there. It also tracked whatever motion You made, so I could review it later if necessary.

The cost of such a camera may be several hundred dollars, but it will be well worth it to allow you to monitor your property even when you are not there. And if something does happen, you will have a video of it stored conveniently on your phone.

Even though a hardwired security system is out of the question, there are still a variety of alarm systems available, some of which are tailored specifically to the needs of apartment dwellers.

Think about installing a doorstop alarm, a cheap battery-operated gadget that goes off whenever the door is opened. In addition, some of the biggest names in security, like ADT, provide wireless home security systems to tenants.

Please Don't Let Someone You Don't Know Or Expect Into Your Home.

Strangers may knock on your door today to deliver anything from your Shipping boxes to your groceries to the smoothie you ordered from the shop down the street but needed to be more active to pick up.

Even though you might be tempted to invite them inside the building while you reach for your wallet to give them a tip, you should exercise care and keep any interactions with them to the exterior. The need to act less than politely to protect oneself is understandable.

Handypersons are subject to the same reasoning. Only let people who claim to have been dispatched mend something if your landlord has specifically notified you to expect them and when they'll arrive.

FAQs About Home Security

Why Is Security Important In Our Home?

A home security system's primary function is to safeguard the home and its inhabitants against intruders, fire, and other hazards such as frozen or burst pipes. It is done automatically by professional monitoring services, whether or not you are aware of the issue, and they can assist in a medical emergency.

Do Burglar Alarms Make A Difference?

In most cases, the installation of security cameras will result in a decrease in burglaries. The likelihood of a break-in is reduced by 300% if a security camera is installed, compared to a residence without a camera. One main reason they are so effective is that criminals do not like being monitored or videotaped.

Why Or Why Not Should One Spend Money On Home Security Equipment?

While you should think carefully about your security needs before making a purchase, you should also consider the estimated price of a home security system and the installation and maintenance cost, which might add up to a significant figure. Indeed, a home automation system is money well spent.

Wired Vs Wireless Security Systems: Which Is Best For Your Home?

There is no universal solution to this problem; however, here is a general idea: The signal strength of wired security systems is more consistent, but wireless systems are easier to set up and can be employed in locations where wired systems aren't needed to be more practical.

Is Monitoring Necessary For A Security System?

The power to protect yourself and your belongings are returned to you when you instal a self-monitoring security system. All responsibility rests squarely in your hands, from setup to careful handling. The most reliable DIY security systems include standard components like sensors, a central hub, and sometimes even surveillance cameras. After initial setup, you may use the companion mobile app to keep tabs on your home.