Five Home Security Tips for Sharehouses and Students
Before I owned my own home, I learnt a thing or two about security from living in sharehouses and renting – the hard way. Here’s five tips if you don’t own your home or have insurance and want to make some small changes to increase security for you and your flatmates.
1. Keys
When you first move into a sharehouse, find out about the key situation. If the landlord hasn’t had the locks changed in many years, and doesn’t ask for the keys back, there is potential that someone still has them and could enter your house at any time.
2. Inside Lighting
The student lifestyle and partying goes hand in hand. If its going to be a big weekend for and your flatmates and you planning to be out all night, it doesn’t hurt to leave one light on to give people walking by the impression that someone is home.
3. Outside Lighting
Ask your landlord to install sensors on your outdoor lighting. This will make it safer for you if you are coming home late at night, as well as deter burglars.
4. Do your share of the chores
Things like checking the mailbox everyday, taking out the rubbish, taking the rubbish bins back in, and gardening aren’t the funniest of chores, but if you’re living with others make sure it gets done. An overflowing letterbox next to a rubbish can that’s still on the street three days after rubbish collection day on a front garden over-run with weeds is a sure-fire way to tell burglars there’s no one home.
5. Don’t show off your valuables
Once you get to know and trust your new flatmates, you might be a little tardy with leaving your stuff lying around – don’t. As nice as your new flatmates might be, you never know who they might bring over or if they’ve got a couple undesirable acquaintances who might see your new ipod sitting on your bed and just pinch it. Tuck away valuables in a draw every time you leave the house so they’re not visible from inside or outside the house.
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