Apartment Safety Basics | DC Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog

Apartment safety may begin with renter’s insurance, but it certainly doesn’t end there, as recently reported in Apartments.com.  To protect yourself and your belongings, experts recommend the following simple guidelines:

DO…

• Write only your last name or initials on your mailbox.
• Make sure the locks on all doors leading into your apartment have been changed since the last tenant was living there.
• Ask your landlord to install a peephole in your front door.
• Stay alert when entering your apartment.  Avoid talking on your cell phone or looking preoccupied when walking toward your building.
• Report bad lighting or overgrown shrubbery to your landlord.
• Inventory the description, serial number and cost of your valuables.  Keep a copy of your records online, in a fireproof locked box or in a safe deposit box in a bank.  Take pictures of your most valuable items and attach those to your receipts to make any insurance claims run as smoothly as possible.
• Keep a broom handle or other long stick in the track of sliding glass doors, to deter break-ins.
• Purchase light timers and set them so that your lights turn on while you’re away in the evening.
• Take in your newspapers and packages daily.

• Call 9-1-1 any time you sense danger.
• Get to know the people in your building.  Attend a neighborhood watch meeting.
• Notify a trusted neighbor if you are going to be gone for more than a couple of days.
• Lock your windows when you go to bed or leave the apartment.  Unlocked windows are the easiest way for criminals to enter a building.
• Check your smoke alarms to ensure they are working properly, and practice using fire extinguishers.  Replace the batteries in your smoke detector every six months.

DON’T…

• Leave valuables in the windows of your apartment or car.  Place valuables in a secure place or in storage whenever possible.
• Leave your clothing unattended in the laundry room.
• Prop the lobby door open or allow others to do so.
• Leave your car or apartment door unlocked, not even for a minute.