Managing Home Maintenance Costs

Apartment building security is one area that we wanted to discuss from the renter’s perspective. This is something that building management is responsible for. Your building’s reputation as a secure place to live will have a large impact on the rent you can charge for your apartment. Or how much you will pay if you are a renter and looking to rent an apartment or home. Security of the building as well as security of the neighborhood is one of the most important issues for many people.

Anytime you move into an apartment, one of the things that you should include in your list of criteria to consider is the security level of the building. Most people do not give this aspect a seconds thought when they are looking for an apartment. Instead they are more concerned about the rent they will pay and any utilities that are added to the overall cost. In addition, they probably look at parking and location relative to were they work and social activities. But not Security. And yet this can be one of the most important elements of your decision in today’s world.

Apartment Building Security – Why is it so important?

Security of your building is going to influence who is entering your building at all times of the day. Most people will buzz in their friends and avoid anyone that they do not know. But what if your buildings locks do not work well. What if the camera system is not working or the audio. How do you know who you are buzzing in?

If your main door locks are not secure, anyone can get into the building and sometimes people come in to spend the night in the stairwells. One location we rented as a snow bird had to have regular routine checks by the security staff of the stairwells, because homeless people were coming onto the property and trying to spend the night in the stairwell. You have to feel sorry for these people, but no one wants a smelly homeless person sleeping in the stairwell at night and roaming the halls.

Questions to Address

Here are a few questions to ask yourself before you sign the lease to your new apartment:

• Security system operation and working
• Security checks
• Neighborhood you live in
• Homeless people near by
• check with police regarding the record of the building
• Security guard on duty at night
• Dead bolts on apartment doors
• Secure apartment doors
• Secure sliding glass doors if you have a balcony
• Management has a strong record of dealing with security issues

In addition to checking the security of the main entrance of the building for security issues, you should also check the security of the doors going into your apartment. does you main door have a solid dead bolt that cannot be kicked in. Is your door solid, preferably made of metal so that it cannot be easily broken.

In addition, if your apartment has a balcony, what is the security of the balcony door. Can it easily be pried off the track or can the lock be pried open. Can people move from other balconies onto your balcony? What steps will you have to take to make sure that no one can enter your apartment from the balcony? Admittedly if you are on a high floor you less to be concerned about unless your balcony is joined with another.  Balconies close to the ground sometimes can be reached easily are more susceptible to break ins.

So hopefully after reading this post readers who are looking for apartments will add this issue to their list of criteria about the apartments that they are looking at.  Your comments are welcome about this topic and others.

For more ideas about keeping your place secure, click here.