Whether you’re living in the urban jungle or in a remote rural town, there’s one aspect of apartment life that should never be taken for granted–your personal security. After all, the slightly cracked, but elegant, bay windows you think add charm to the apartment may appeal to burglars as well.
It’s easy to admire an apartment’s amenities and attractive features, but poor building security negates everything the apartment offers.
“It’s not about aesthetics,” says Willis W. Shannon, crime prevention officer of the Chicago Police Department’s preventive programs division. “The apartment’s exterior and interior must be closely examined for any signs of neglect.”
The best way to play it safe is to assess a building’s security before you move in and continually re-examine your surroundings as a resident. To avoid trouble, Shannon recommends apartment hunting with a checklist of necessary safety measures. A safe building will reduce your chances of being a victim of criminal activities such as burglary and assault.
Once you’ve selected a location, advises Shannon, inspect the apartment building’s exterior and surrounding properties because the outside reveals how the landlord maintains a safe building.
“Make sure there aren’t any abandoned cars on the property or abandoned buildings in the area,” Shannon says. “These are telltale signs of lack of caring by the landlord and by the community.” Criminals interpret neglect as a sign that their illegal activities would go unnoticed and undisturbed in the area.
The building’s lighting also is crucial in deterring crime. Shannon recommends driving by the apartment with a friend late at night during the week and on the weekend to see how well the building is lit in front and back and to see whether heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic creates an unsafe atmosphere.
Besides lighting, examine the front and rear doors of the building to see how the entry system works. Be sure the front door automatically shuts behind you after being opened with a key. There always should be secure doors or a monitored entrance for effective security.
Hedges and bushes should be trimmed low so burglars can’t hide in them; trees and branches around the property should not allow access to windows and balconies. Also take note of any property damage, such as dented mail boxes, graffiti, and rusted or missing screws in doors and window frames, says Shannon.
“If there are any signs of previous break-ins and graffiti, it shows there have been problems and the landlord hasn’t kept up maintenance,” Shannon warns. If the building’s exterior and interior common areas aren’t in good condition, then that will be yourliving environment.
Once you’ve found a place that appears safe on the outside, then it’s time to evaluate the inside of your potential apartment. Be sure the apartment’s door is made of solid wood or steel built into a steel frame and the hinges lie on the inside of the apartment. According to Chicago law, says Shannon, apartment doors must have a peephole and a deadbolt lock.
During your security sweep, it’s also important to look for subtle clues on how attentive the landlord is to the property, including well-lighted and garbage-free stairwells and vestibules. Inspect smoke detectors in your apartment to see whether they are properly wired; inspect windows to ensure they open and close properly and are crack-free.
Before committing to a lease, an apartment renter should learn about the crime and condition of the neighborhood by calling the local police for crime statistics, Shannon advises. Also, they should read the local building ordinance that stipulates landlords’ and tenants’ rights and responsibilities, including apartment key access by landlords and unit upkeep by residents.
Once you’ve moved into an apartment that meets the required safety checklist, relax, but continue practicing safety measures for your personal security and for others in the building. Always keep your doors and windows locked, while you’re inside and outside out of your apartment; don’t share entry codes or electronic key access cards with anyone, and keep your curtains or blinds closed at night to prevent people outside from viewing your movements and your apartment’s contents.
It’s the residents’ responsibility to help enforce apartment security, by not letting strangers in behind them, keeping doors locked in common areas and alerting landlords of maintenance needs, from a blown light bulb to a loose step, experts say.
Technology plays an important role today in apartment security, with sophisticated, high-tech equipment aiding responsible landlords in deterring crime. The Park Evanston, a 283-unit modern high-rise in Evanston, couples state-of-the-art security equipment with an attentive staff to preserve a safe environment for residents.
Key access cards, video cameras and an intercom system are connected to a computerized system that records and stores activities at all in common areas; a doorman and locked vestibule doors keep out unwanted guests.
Visitors use an intercom outside the building to call residents and, for added safety, residents can tune their TVs to an in-house channel to see who’s at the door.
Six strategically placed video cameras allow Sacramento Ruiz, head doorman, to monitor activities in all common areas via his computer terminal.
Residents’ key access cards, which unlock all common area doors, also serve as security monitors for the building staff. Each time a resident uses the card at an entrance, the system records the name of the resident, where the card was used and the exact date and time.
The information is archived to show when and if an unauthorized party has used the card. Not only are the time and place documented, but the video cameras also record the intruder on videotape.
“My job as doorman isn’t just security; it’s also customer service,” says Ruiz, who greets residents by name while unobtrusively keeping track of who’s coming and going.
“The biggest problem related to safe buildings is the lack of communication between the landlord and the tenant,” says Carole Bialczak, director of community outreach at the City of Chicago’s Department of Buildings. “The landlord assumes the tenant knows the do’s and don’ts of good safety measures. The landlord should communicate this to the tenants in writing.”
Bialczak says that dialogue between residents and building staff makes both parties feel more comfortable in discussing their questions and concerns.
To help, the City of Chicago offers a free, three-hour program designed to educate landlords, tenants and building owners on how to manage and maintain safe apartments.
The Landlord Training Program, administered by the Department of Buildings and the Chicago Police Department, provides the educational tools on how to create a safe environment for residents and how to deter criminal activity in the building.
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For more information, call 312-744-3430.
