When you live in close proximity to other tenants, there is an important knowledge set you need to have – home security tips for apartments.

This guide offers helpful suggestions on what you can do to secure your apartment and reduce the risk of intrusion and burglary.

• Be aware of your surroundings

It does not matter where you live; you need to keep an eye on the happenings around you. Take note of your neighbors and the company they keep. This will make it easier to indentify a person who should not be there. It is always good to trust your intuition and alert the apartment management or police if you notice a suspicious person or activity.

Make a point of having cordial relations with your neighbors because they will keep an eye on your apartment when you are not there.

They will also collect your mail and newspaper, shovel your driveway and do other neighborly things for you so that your apartment looks lived in when you are not present.

• Get new door locks

Most landlords rarely replace the door locks once someone moves out. It is therefore your duty to ask your landlord to do so if you don’t want to risk someone returning to your apartment and accessing it with an old key. Even the landlords who claim to have replaced the locks only just rotate them between apartments, so always insist on brand new locks to be installed. Your security is paramount, and if the landlord doesn’t feel the same, look elsewhere.

• Install a security system

Most of the security systems available to homeowners can also be used by apartment renters.

There are cameras, motion detectors and various wireless security systems that you can consider. They are also easy to install without drilling holes into walls which might void your deposit.

The best thing about such security systems is that they can be controlled using a smartphone, so you can monitor your apartment on the go.

Burglars are also less likely to break into a home which is well secured as it increases the chances of them being apprehended.

• Lighting is key

Dark, dimly lit spaces are downright scary for many people; after all crimes usually occur in shadowy places.

Ensure the exterior of your apartment is well light to help deter criminals because they like sneaking in through dark areas. Check around your apartment and ensure that the entrances, hallways, parking lots and elevators are well lit at night.

The fewer places a criminal has to hide, the safer you will be.

Remember that to improve the security of your apartment, you don’t have to turn it into Fort Knox – home security tips for apartments explained here are sufficient to show a potential thief that your unit is better protected than the place across the street.…