You probably consider your apartment to be a private sanctuary to keep your family safe from criminal intrusion or, most commonly, from burglars who are looking for a chance to take some of your precious personal belongings.
Securing your apartment should be a priority for two main reasons. One, you care about things bought with your hard earned money. Two, you care that no physical harm shall come upon any member of your family.
Fundamental Ways to Keep Your Home Secure
Foremost, remind each member of the household to make it a habit not to neglect checking all points of entry every time they come in or go out of the apartment. Do this at any time of the day and especially at night. It is the most important means to keep everyone safe.
Here are additional tips to secure your apartment:
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Keep All Doors and Windows Locked at All Times
Experienced burglars know which part of your apartment can be accessible, be it the back door or the kitchen window. One way to shoo them away is to keep doors and windows locked. Do it in such a way that it will require too much effort and skill for them to break in.
Have high quality locks on exterior doors that resist lock-picking attempts or door knob with deadbolt that doesn’t allow slipping the lock with a card. They will make your apartment difficult to enter.
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Care for Sliding Glass Doors and Windows
Sliding glass doors and windows don’t have any locks on them, only latches. Aside from breaking the glass, forced entry can be done by prying the door or window near the latch or lifting them off the track. Maintain the latch and the rollers in good condition. Installing anti-lift devices and highly visible alarm decals will help warn burglars from breaking in.
For sliding windows, it is advisable to use a secondary blocking device like wooden dowels along with beware of dog decals. Moreover, never leave a sliding door or window open or unattended.
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Keep Your Area Well Lit
Interior, exterior, and entryway bright lights are definitely a deterrent to burglars who don’t want to be identified. Establish a routine to use light-timers on your front and back windows. This way, neighbors will be alerted once your well-lighted apartment becomes dark.
Install an infra-red heat-motion sensor security lights. These lights activate once they detect body heat at the back door of your apartment as additional security measure.
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Be Good to Neighbors
Getting to know your neighbors is often a neglected factor for securing personal protection. By building trust and genuine concern between neighbors, your good neighbors can look out for you and your family’s safety whether you are in the apartment or not. They can easily report to the police any suspicious activity they see inside or outside your apartment while you are away.
The Lofts of Columbia offers upscale downtown Columbia apartments.