Safety Features You Should Consider When Apartment Hunting
Are you in the process of looking for an apartment for your family? If so, safety may be one of the top things that you have in mind. Communal buildings are quite different than buying a single family home since many things are out of your control when it comes to security. Here are several things to consider when you're apartment hunting and have safety in mind.
The Lobby
The first thing you should notice is how easy or hard it is to get into the lobby of the building. If the building has a most basic level of security, the front door should not be left unlocked to allow anybody to come in. Instead, it should require a key or for a tenant to be buzzed in by calling a renter on a call box. Be concerned if anybody can just walk into the building without permission.
The Front Door
Once inside a building, the next line of defense for home security is your front door. Be cautious of renting a place that does not have deadbolts on their doors, since it makes it very easy to kick in the door if someone does want to get in. If the current door to the unit lacks a deadbolt, ask the landlord about adding one.
In addition, the front door itself should be made with high-quality materials. Thick wood or metal is ideal for front door security, with it being a concern if there are thing bedroom doors used for the front door. While this door is not protecting your unit from outside weather, it is protecting you from criminals. It is also a good idea to have a peephole, so you can see who is knocking on your front door if they get into the building.
If you lack any of these things, ask your landlord if you can add them to make your unit secure.
The Keys
You would be surprised at how many landlords do not change the locks after each tenant moves out. Unfortunately, you never know if the person has an extra set of keys that can allow them to easily get into the building and your unit. Check with your landlord about if the locks have been changed, and if not, how it can be arranged. It is common for landlords to retail keys for units so that you won't have 100% security with new keys made, but it will guarantee that previous tenants do not have keys.
For more information, contact an apartment complex like Kirkwood Village Apartments.
