Being a landlord is a job that comes with a lot of responsibilities. Apart from providing your tenants with a habitable living space that meets their needs, you have considerable responsibility for ensuring their safety. This includes taking effective measures to protect your tenants from robberies, unauthorized entries and other unsafe events as well as protecting what is, for you, a business asset.
Whether you are renting a beach house in Los Angeles, cozy cheap apartments in San Jose or a holiday home in New York, the sense of safety is a must. Having an efficient security system will help improve your tenants’ overall experience, safeguard your property and even increase your rental value in the future.
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways you can enhance the security of your rental place. To help you, we have put together a guide that elaborates on five effective safety measures you should consider.
Conduct regular maintenance assessment
Before you start installing security systems, it is crucial that you first conduct regular maintenance assessments on your entire rental property. This includes everything from inspecting the general condition of every room in the home to performing basic exterior property maintenance.
For example, start by checking the wiring system in the kitchen as the kitchen appliances can be the biggest culprit. Also, be sure to inspect the water pipes for rust, corrosion and signs of leakage.
Lastly, don’t forget to do any repairs to preserve your property’s structural integrity, inspect the roof, clean rain gutters and downspouts, and lock up hazardous materials in chemical storage containers to avoid accidental poisoning or fire.
Secure the doors and windows
Securing the doors and windows of your rental property is also paramount for improving safety. For example, all entry and exit doors should be made out of solid, heavy-duty materials such as steel and wood. The doors should feature both standard and deadbolt locks to make it difficult for a criminal to break into the property.
Also, don’t forget to add chain locks, peepholes and an intercom system especially if you own a multifamily property.
As for your windows, you should consider installing working locks on all units’ windows so no one can enter the home through the fire escape. For the apartments on the lower floors, you could even add security bars.
Increase lighting sources
One of the easiest and often most effective ways to prevent crimes is to install proper lighting both inside and outside of your rental property.
For example, for the outdoor area, you should consider augmenting the space with motion-sensor floodlights installed at strategic spots. These include the entrance from the street, garage door, backdoor, far end of the backyard and any other outdoor structures a trespasser might use for concealment. The great thing about these lights is that most of them are solar-powered and will keep on working even in the case of a power blackout.
As for the inside of the property, make sure all hallways and stairwells are also brightly lit at all times.
Install an effective security system
Installing an effective security system is another helpful way to improve safety at your rental property. In most cases, landlords choose to do this by installing security cameras at the front and back entrance of the property as well as in common areas such as the stairwells and hallways. Such cameras may also work well as a deterrent for thieves, even if they are not active.
Because nowadays criminals have become so advanced and equipped with modern technologies to break any lock, you can consider installing smart security systems to achieve ultimate protection. The most commonly preferred ones by landlords include smart locks, motion sensors and sirens that call or text your mobile phone when triggered.
Get an insurance policy
No matter what kind of safety measures you take, unfortunate events may still happen. That’s why it is advised that you also get a home insurance policy to keep your property safe and reduce the risk of unforeseen costs in case of a break-in. Taking the right insurance will protect you as the landlord as well as protect your assets and any furnishings within your property.
To get the most out of it, you should look for a package that combines home and contents insurance because that way you will be able to protect both your tenants’ belongings and cover for any damage done to your property.
Final thoughts
Enhancing the safety of a rental property is one of the most important responsibilities of a landlord. This way they are providing their tenants with peace of mind that they will be safe in their rentals while also helping themselves attract future tenants, increase rental value and reduce the risk of theft and vandalism.
From securing all entry points and increasing lighting sources to installing an effective security system, borrow some of our effective safety measures mentioned in this post and achieve ultimate protection for your rental property.
