Security Precautions for Apartments

The following excerpt is from IREM’s publication, Practical Apartment Management, Sixth Edition (IREM © 2009):

Everyone wants a safe place to live. The realization, however, is that a completely secure environment just isn’t possible. Working together in concert, management and its residents can minimize much of the potential risk and exposure. New technology, alert devices, communications, and better locking systems are being introduced to produce a safer housing environment. 

Surveillance Cameras. The existence alone of surveillance cameras can act as a crime deterrent. Video recordings can document suspicious activity and pinpoint problem areas. Live monitoring of limited facilities is fairly common in large buildings with a central, staffed entry. However, complete coverage of every angle just isn’t feasible. 

Emergency Call Stations. You will see more and more of these prominent call stations strategically placed in parking and open areas of apartment properties. They got their start on student campuses and in shopping centers. Most are wireless and provide video and instant two-way communications. When activated, they signal the exact location and set off a flashing beacon and alarm. They can be monitored either on site or from a remote location. The very presence of these stations adds to the comfort level of residents and visitors. 

Security Alarm Systems. These are individual systems controlled by a keypad located just inside of each unit’s entry. The keypad is connected to a series of door and window sensors. The device can also report smoke and fire or trigger a panic alarm. Different firms offer 24/7 monitoring and swing into action when an alarm is sounded. 

Electronic Locks. As a result of the abuses and troubles connected with the traditional master key systems, a number of management firms have discontinued their use. Many new systems of safeguarding keys have been introduced, but it appears that the eventual winner will be a form of the computer-monitored, electronic lock using smart card technology. This new technology offers a high anti-counterfeit capability, uncompromising security, and ease of use. At this juncture, these devices are significantly more expensive (up to ten times more) than other alternatives, thus slowing their acceptance. 

Retrofitting existing doors, frames, and lock systems can be very labor intensive, but the recently introduced metal doors and buck assemblies can speed the process while only reducing the door width by one-quarter of an inch.