Tips to Avoid an Apartment Burglary

The Art of Keeping a Low Profile in Your Apartment 

Burglary is a significant problem in apartment complexes across the country. However, you can significantly reduce your chances of being burgled through these simple common sense measures.

If you live in an apartment, you work hard for what you have and you make compromises in order to live among other people. You can prepare for a home invasion by using a Master Lock 265DCCSEN Dual-Function Security Bar and a quality handgun like the Smith & Wesson Enhanced Sigma. But, burglary also seems to be a serious risk in apartment complexes. Fortunately, there are simple things that you can do to reduce the chances that your apartment could be burglarized. The keys to avoiding an apartment burglary are discretion and deception.


1. Be Discreet with Your Treasures.  If you don't want to be a target, keep a low profile. Don't flash your cash or your prized consumer goods. Don't let your flat screen TV or expensive stereo be visible from outside of your apartment. Can someone on the sidewalk in front of your building see your TV, stereo, or computer? If you don't want something stolen, don't let people see it. In an apartment, that means you should keep your blinds and curtains shut so that passersby can't see what you own. Any small valuables should be hidden away. Any stereo systems, video game consoles or other consumer electronics should be kept behind the closed doors of an armoire or wooden cabinet. Store valuables discreetly so that they won't be immediately seen by the cable guy, the maintenance men, the pest control person, and other workers who may come into your apartment.

2. Don't Divulge Your Plans.  If you want to minimize the chance that your apartment will be burgled, you need to remember the old World War II adage: loose lips sink ships. If you are planning a week out of town, don't tell random people. Only those with a real need to know should have knowledge of your impending departure and travel plans. In particular, you don't want people to know that you will be out of town for holidays or other major events.

3. Stop Mail / Package / Newspaper Deliveries.  When you do leave town, do everything you can to stop your mail deliveries, stop your package shipments, and hold any newspapers. If you do have a trusted neighbor that you know well, you might have them pick up any packages that appear on your doormat and snatch any pizza flyers or Chinese menus that get thrust into your door. Bulging mailboxes, packages and menus can mark your apartment for burglars and let them know it is unattended. If you live in an apartment, you may just want to get your mail at a nearby UPS store.

4. Park Your Car in Varying Locations. If you park your car in the same space at the same times everyday, people will get to know your habits. If you park on different sides of your apartment building and in different spaces, your habits will be less obvious to potential burglars.

5. Use Varying Exits. Just as you move your car around, you should also vary the exit you use when you leave your apartment building. When you leave from different exits, it becomes harder for burglars watching your building to predict your schedule or plan a burglary.

6. Leave For Trips By the Less Visible Exit.  Sometimes activity in front of an apartment building happens in a fishbowl. Everyone in a building can see what is going on. If you can exit for a trip through a less visible exit and pack your car discreetly, your movements are less likely to be observed. It may be worth moving your car to a temporary space near the building just for loading and unloading.

7. Leave Carrying Non-Luggage.  If you don't want potential burglars to know that you are leaving for an extended period of time, try to leave without luggage. Put your luggage in a large black trash bag or in a box marked "Salvation Army." The key is to disguise your luggage as trash, charitable donations, or anything else. You might also take one bag at a time over a period of time. If you bring one bag of clothes out in the evening before you leave, then you can leave with a smaller bag of your valuables.

8. Appliance Timers.  Appliance timers are perhaps the most important tool in reducing the chance that your apartment will be burglarized. With appliance timers, the lights in your apartment will continue to turn on and turnoff in accordance with your regular routine. You can even use appliance timers to turn radios and televisions on and off. If the lights are on and potential burglars can hear noise when listening to your door, they are likely to move on to an apartment that they know is unoccupied. Appliance timers are available for $5 to $10 apiece. You simply have to test them for reliability before you use them.

There are lots of simple things you can do to make your home safe and secure. If you incorporate these simple steps to keep a low profile and mislead potential burglars by making your apartment look occupied, you'll have done your part to reduce crime in your apartment complex.

How to Escalate Issues at Your Apartment Complex

Sometimes issues at an apartment complex can go unresolved for a long time.  You complain about something and management refuses to do anything to rectify the issue.

Typically, when I have an issue, I will complain to management and give them a week to work on the problem.  If the problem is in a common area, I'll talk to neighbors about it and see if they will complain as well.

If there is still no resolution, I go to the rental company website and escalate the issue to the next level of management.  This can be done iteratively.

My last and final level of escalation would be to leave a review on apartmentratings.com.  When it comes to problems at an apartment complex, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.  You have to make complaints to get anything fixed.  If there is a problem at your complex get heard and get it fixed.

Furniture Tips for Apartments

When you first move into an apartment, people will try to help you furnish it. Parents will donate their old furniture and furniture stores will extend apparently easy credit terms. 

Many young people have the notion that their apartment is their first "real" place.  Consequently, renters often rush to fill their apartment with substantial looking furniture.

It's all a trap.

When you are young, you have the freedom to move in pursuit of your dreams.  But, moving an apartment full of expensive or heavy furniture is not cheap.    Once you have heavy furniture, you need to pay professional movers who know how to take care of things.  You start needing to rent an expensive truck every time you move.

If you live in an apartment stay light and stay cheap.  Don't get bigged down by heavy stuff.

Apartment Complex Critters: The Red-Shouldered Hawk

One of the coolest things about living in an apartment is having grounds.  Our complex has an extensive stretch of woods with a creek running through the complex.  The woods is home to critters like possums, rabbits, and raccoons.  But, the fences seem to keep out predators like coyotes.  Earlier this week, we had an airborne predator visit the woods just behind our balcony.  I believe it is a Red-Shouldered Hawk.

Red-Shouldered Hawk near Atlanta, Georgia

According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the Red Shoulder Hawk differs from the the Red-Tailed Hawk in having a peach-colored underside instead of white.  The Red-Shouldered Hawk is also notable for liking forest land and river-areas.  Since we live near the Chattahoochee River and wildlife area, we have both in abundance.  This guy flies through the trees behind our building and preys on squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, and rats.  Very cool to see!

Controlling Pests in an Apartment

Pest control in an apartment can be a real challenge.  You are at the mercy of factors beyond your control.  

For example, you don't control the construction quality of your building. If the builder left gaps that bugs can get through, your options are limited. 

You also don't have any control over the behavior of your neighbors.  If they leave doors open without screens, bugs can crawl or fly right in.  If they have poor hygiene and kitchen cleaning habits, bugs will be there to take advantage of the situation.

By Amada44 (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Fortunately, there are a few things that ypu can control:

First, you can make your own environment less attractive to bugs by keeping your kitchen clean and sanitary.  Every night you should make sure that the dishes are washed, food is put away, and counters are clean and wiped down.

Second, you can keep doors and windows closed.  If you plan to open windows, you can make sure that they fit properly and are in good repair.

Third, you can have pest control visit your apartment on a regular basis.  In some states, the law requires landlords to provide pest control.  It's good to be home when pest control comes so that ypu can discuss pests you've seen and problem areas.

Fourth, you can supplement pest control with your own efforts.  You can sprinkle diatomaceous earth in locations that people and pets do not access. For example, you can sprinkle the white powder behind the refrigerator.  You can also use roach and ant traps or even spray yourself.

Defensive Driving within Your Complex

In the past year, we've had about six  significant traffic accidents on the grounds of our apartment complex.  As a casual observer, it's difficult to identify the root cause of each accident.  However, I suspect there are a few contributors to each accident.

1.  Foreign National Drivers.
2.  Young Drivers.
3.  Wet Roads.
4.  Distraction.

Three accidents took out trees and shrubs, one accident left a bumper and broken glass just inside the gate, and one spectacular accident took out a guard rail, sent a car airborne, and significant damaged a parked SUV.  These accidents are scary because we have many pedestrians within our complex.  Someone may get hurt.

While speed limits are low, you have to drive defensively in an apartment complex.  Since the entire complex is basically a parking lot with a twisting road through it, there are plenty of people trying to get in an out of spaces.  You also have children and pets darring from between parked cars.

In our complex, we also have a large number of foreign guest workers who walk for recreation.  They are completely clueless of how pedestrians act in the United States.  Suffice it too say there is a whole family and a baby stroller behind every blind corner.  If you add in all the joggers with iTunes impaired hearing, you have a disaster waiting for someone to roar around a corner too fast.  Slow down and don't even think about toiching your cell phone while driving here!

It's enough to make me want speed bumps!

Common Courtesy in Apartments

I am always amazed at the complete lack of common courtesy people display in an apartment complex.  

For example, one tenant kept a broken down motorcycle in a prime space in front of our building for many years.  When she moved out, she blocked three spaces with a portable shipping container.

Still other tenants move in or out of a complex at night.  There's nothing like a hand truck full of boxes bouncing down a flight of stairs at midnight to promote a good night of sleep.

Still other people just leave cups and litter from their car out on the street. Believe it or not, the grounds keeper has other duties to perform.  In a community, you just don't do things like that.  Civilization depends on people to act civilized.  It's that simple.