You may think that apartment living is safe simply because there are lots of people around. However, sometimes more people in close proximity to your door is not a good thing. If you are shopping for a new apartment, here are some safety features to look for.
Entrances
It is important to check out the entrance to your building as well as the entrance to your apartment. Good stainless steel doors New York are durable, last longer and require fewer repairs than wooden doors. Your apartment door should have a peephole, deadbolt lock and a chain lock. Determine how easy it would be to get into your apartment building. Is there a keycode needed? If there is, then ask the building manager how often they change the code. Better yet, is there a doorman monitoring who enters and leaves?
Lighting
It is extremely useful to visit the apartment building at night and see how well lit common areas are. Dark hallways and parking lots are perfect places for bad people to hide. The more lit an apartment complex is, the better. Besides the hallways and parking lot, also check less obvious places like the laundry room and mailroom. If there are stairwells, then they should be well lit with cameras installed. See where trash receptacles are. If you need to take the trash out to a dumpster, look for motion sensor lights. People do laundry, grab their mail and take out the trash at night when it is dark. So, make sure these are safe areas.
Emergency Exits
It’s a good idea to check out the emergency exits on a building not only so you can get out in an emergency, but also because this is a way burglars get in. If there are fire escape ladders, make sure they’re stored so that a person can’t pull one down from street level. If your apartment is on the ground level, then check that all windows have locks. Fire escape plans should be posted on every floor of an apartment building so tenants know how to handle emergencies.