Enhancing Your Home's Apartment Safety: Crucial Advice and Strategies
In Victoria, the rising number of thefts and burglaries in apartments, units, and flats has become a concern. According to the Crime Statistics Agency, a combined total of 9,947 incidents were recorded for the year ending March 2025. To ensure tenants' safety, it's crucial to take proactive measures.
Before moving into an apartment, it's essential to book an inspection to assess the building's security measures. This includes checking the locks on the home's entrance doors, ensuring all doors and windows close securely with locks, and ensuring all entrances and common areas are well-lit.
If you're a tenant, permission is required from the rental provider for installing smart video doorbells or making any changes to the apartment's security system. However, having a home security system, such as CCTV or smart video doorbells, can deter burglars and provide peace of mind.
Renters or contents insurance can offer protection in case of a burglary. Policies like RACV Contents Insurance and RACV Renters Insurance cover theft, damage caused by an attempted theft, visitors' belongings, and up to $1,000 for unauthorized credit card usage.
Mail theft is common in apartment buildings. To prevent this, never leave keys in your mailbox and consider locking your mailbox. Storage cages in apartment complexes are often targets of theft. To secure storage cages, use heavy-duty padlocks or disc locks and consider lining the cage with plastic sheeting.
Building security extends beyond individual apartments. Entrances, including gates and car parks, should be monitored by surveillance cameras or on-site security staff. Reporting security issues like broken doors or lights to the owner's corporation or strata organization is important.
Strong communities are safe communities, according to Neighbourhood Watch Victoria CEO Bambi Gordon. Befriending neighbors can help deter burglars and alert you to strange activity around your apartment. Setting up an online community, like a WhatsApp group or private Facebook group, can help neighbors stay in touch and watch out for each other.
In an apartment building, befriending a neighbor on the same floor can provide additional security. Neighbourhood Watch Victoria CEO Bambi Gordon emphasizes the importance of getting to know neighbors, reporting suspicious activity, and respecting shared spaces in apartment buildings.
By taking these steps, tenants can help create a safer environment in their apartment buildings and reduce the risk of burglaries. Remember, a secure apartment building is a community effort.
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