When you live in a house, there are many things you can do to deter potential burglars and to keep your family and your belongings safe. When you live in an apartment, however, it can be a bit more complicated, especially if you are on a tight budget or if your landlord doesn’t want to cooperate.
Don’t worry: it’s still possible to make your apartment safer. It all starts with taking a close look at your front door. These nine ideas will show you how to secure your apartment door.
1. Try to think like a burglar
Unfortunately, breaking into an apartment is easier than you might think it is. If your door, door frame, or door lock is weak, a burglar would probably be able to kick it open or to pry it open with a few simple tools.
Take a close look at your front door, and try to think like a burglar. Do you feel like your door is safe? Do you think there is a weakness in the door frame? Do you think you could force your door open if you wanted to? You need to consider these questions for how to secure your apartment door.
If you notice a few issues, talk to your landlord and explain how a sturdy door with a strong frame and a quality lock is necessary to keep you safe.
2. Change your door lock
If your landlord doesn’t think it’s necessary to replace your front door, maybe they will at least agree to changing your door lock. If your door lock seems fine, you might want to change it anyway and to replace it with a stronger lock.
A grade one or grade two deadbolt lock, which extends at least one inch into the door jamb, should make it extremely difficult for a burglar to kick or pry your door open.
3. Change the screws of the door’s strike plate
The strike plate is the metal plate that covers the hole into which the deadbolt of the lock enters when you close and lock your door. Most strike plates are secured with screws that are only one inch long.
To make it more difficult for someone to force your front door open, you should remove the screws of the strike plate, and replace them with longer screws.
4. Install a peephole
If the front door of your apartment doesn’t have a peephole, you should ask your landlord to install one. A peephole will not make your door more difficult to pry open, but it will help protecting you against unwanted visitors.
When someone knocks on your door, you can look through the peephole and decide if you want to let them in or not. If someone suspicious is prowling around your door and you see them through your peephole, you could alert the police.
5. Get a door alarm
Getting a door alarm is one of the best ways on how to secure your apartment door. It should be able to deter burglars. If someone opens the door, or kicks it in, your door alarm will be triggered and make a loud and obnoxious noise.
There is a strong chance that a potential burglar will not want to stick around when they hear the sound of your door alarm.
6. Get a door stop alarm
If attaching a door alarm to your front door frame doesn’t seem like a convenient option, you can get a door stop alarm instead.
A door stop alarm is a device that looks like a door stopper. You simply place it behind your door, and if someone tries to open it, the alarm will go off and scare away the intruder.
7. Get a security bar
A door stop alarm is more convenient to use when you are home, and so is a security bar. A security bar is a clever but simple device that makes it more difficult to kick your apartment door open.
All you have to do is place the top end of the device against your door knob, and adjust it until the other end is placed firmly on the floor.
8. Get a dog
If you are already a happy dog owner, you can probably keep some peace of mind knowing that your furry friend will bark if someone tries to enter your home.
If you don’t have a dog, but you have always wanted to get one, check with your landlord to see if dogs are allowed in your apartment building.
9. Get a dog barking alarm
If you can’t, or don’t want to get a dog, you could purchase a dog barking alarm to help you keep your apartment safe.
A dog barking alarm is a device with a sensor that can detect an intruder through a door. If someone is lurking around your apartment door, your alarm will make a loud dog barking sound which will deter potential burglars.
