Keeping the residents safe in your rental property must be a priority of a landlord. After all, even if your unit is attractive and has an affordable rent, if security is questionable then you’ll end up facing tenant turnovers. To ensure you’ll land long-term renters, pay attention to your rental home security.
Avoid problems like theft, burglary, and trespassing which can be addressed by preparing your rental property in advance to deliver security.
Here are tips to follow to prevent unwelcome visitors from entering your rental space.
1. Secure your main entrances
Make sure your doors are made of durable material and have strong locks attached. Invest in deadbolts to make it hard for intruders to kick down doors. Choose your doors with care and go for solid wood or metal which doesn’t give out easily when a heavy force hits it. With a tough door exterior, intruders may change their minds since time is essential to them.
When a renter moves out, don’t forget to rekey the locks. You don’t want former renters to still enter the unit, especially if they’ve been evicted. Protect the new occupants of your rental property by installing new locks or changing the passcodes if you have an electronic lock system.
2. Pay attention to your window security
Windows are another vulnerable spot of your rental unit. When burglars can’t enter the main door, they may turn to the windows. Ensure you have window locks and latches that don’t easily break down when the window is pushed several times.
Lock the windows when you leave since trespassers often want to enter units stealthily. They would hesitate to break windows to avoid the noise that would alert anyone.
3. Provide external lighting to your rental unit
With additional outside lighting, you keep your rental premises more secure. You can opt for motion sensor lighting. Despite an intruder hiding in the dim areas of the property, movement is detected which alerts the sensor lighting and blows off the cover of the trespasser. You can place external writing at entranceways and other spots conducive for hiding.
When you flood hidden areas with light, burglars will second-guess their plans in order not to risk exposing themselves. If you have a good lighting system, this can reduce the risk of burglary and provide more safety to your renters.
4. Set up a strong security system on your property
Treat a security system as an excellent investment since it cultivates trust from the tenants and provides you with more peace of mind. Protecting your tenants must be a main priority and with a solid security system, you can keep burglars and trespassers from accessing your highly secure rental space.
If your renters trust you to deliver safety, then it’s also possible that they’ll become long-term renters and renew their leases. On the move-in day, conduct an orientation and show the renters how to use the security systems and inform them of the security procedures to keep their property more secure so they protect themselves.
5. Promote the security of your rental
One effective method to discourage intruders is advertising that you have an active security system in place. Post signs that you have security measures and burglars will likely leave knowing that their presence can easily be noticed and be captured.
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Remember not to be specific about the security system details such as the model of the CCTV camera since burglars may research how to override the system to avoid being detected.
6. Reduce potential hiding places
If your property contains a lot of trees and other thick shrubs, it may be easy for intruders to hide. To prevent this from occurring and to limit the areas an intruder can hide, trim your shrubs, and cut down the long branches of trees. Try to limit large decorative items on your lawn and set up motion sensor lighting in dim areas such as garden sheds and garages.
Do all you can to ensure intruders won’t be able to wait it out in the dark and wait for the resident to leave the unit or switch off the lights. Doing these extra steps can greatly minimize burglary attempts.
7. Document your items
If a theft occurs, the first thing authorities will ask from you is a list of the lost items. It can be difficult to remember the model or serial number of a particular thing. It’s best to have a copy of the model, color, and serial number of your valuable possessions. You can also document them through photos to make it even easier to supply details.
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It makes it easy for the authorities to track down your missing items after a burglary happens in your rental unit. When you have a list of the specs of your appliances, furnishing, gadgets, and other valuable items, it can be convenient to return these specific items back when your possessions are returned. Filing a record is also efficient with a ready list and update it with every renovation.
Considerations Before Investing in Security Systems Upgrade
Before spending on security system updates, it’s recommended to speak with your tenants. You want to avoid potential conflicts when you replace locks without telling them. It might send the wrong message. Further, it can be illegal to change locks without asking for tenant consent. It’s much better to replace locks or alter the security system after a tenancy ends.
But if you want more flexibility in adding more security measures, you can create an addendum in your rental agreement. You can state the additional security systems you’ve installed and ensure that the renter agrees by signing the document.
Bottom Line
Enhancing your security systems promotes more safety for the residents, helping to create a habitable environment for them. Apply these tips for keeping your home and investment safe which leads to happy tenants.
Are you looking for a reputable property manager to deliver top-notch services from marketing, tenant screening and rent collection to property maintenance and repair, contact Vineyard Property Management today!
