Updated June 8, 2026 | Published November 17, 2018
Apartments aren’t immune to break-ins or property crime. While the landlord has a certain responsibility to ensure their rental units are safe, there are extra steps a tenant can take to make their apartment as safe as possible.
In this article, discover 11 useful tips to secure your apartment prior to signing a lease and after you move in.
WATCH ON YOUTUBE – 5:18
Take a look around the building through the eyes of a thief. Thieves prefer easy access with no hassles. Consider the following:
Don’t just inspect the premises during the day. Drive by and around the building at night.
Look for lighting around the building, and note whether lights are motion-activated or always on. Motion-activated lighting is generally preferred for security reasons, not to mention energy savings.1
Pay attention to what the neighbourhood looks like after dark as well. Ideally, you want to see plenty of normal foot traffic, like joggers and dog-walkers. A lot of unsavoury types hanging about after dark could be a red flag.
Confirm that the property is well maintained, from landscaping to overall tidiness. A property manager who doesn’t value upkeep probably isn’t too concerned about security either.
Plus, a run-down building is likely to cause you headaches unrelated to security; you don’t want to deal with mice, mould, or dilapidated appliances after you move in.
Call the local police detachment — using the non-emergency line — for a safety report or any crime statistics on the area. Some jurisdictions publish this information freely online.
If possible, chat with residents of the property about what it’s really like to live there. If there’s a Neighbourhood Watch group, touch base with them, too.
Get an estimate from your insurance provider for renter’s insurance and compare it with the rate in your current neighborhood. Higher rates may signal the area isn’t as safe, though whether that’s because of crime or other factors is difficult to say.
Inspect your apartment unit carefully before you commit to living there.
From a security perspective, you’re going to pay a lot of attention to the door. It should have a peephole, for one thing. That way you can check who’s knocking before letting anyone in.
Entry doors should be solid wood or metal, and fit snugly within their frame. The lock should be a deadbolt with a strike plate (the metal plate on the frame into which the deadbolt slides).2
Windows should have locks as well.
ready for an online quote? Your time matters, and so does your stuff. Get a personalized home insurance quote in 5 minutes. That’s less time than it takes to wait in line for coffee.
Before you start, please review our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Ask the landlord to rekey or replace the door lock. Depending on which province you live in, they may be required to do so upon request, at their own cost. In other provinces, there is no requirement. But, even if you have to do it at your own expense, replacing or rekeying the lock to your unit is a crucial security requirement.
Some landlords rotate locks between apartments in a building, which is safer, but not foolproof.
If the door doesn’t have a deadbolt, install one (or have the landlord do it). Its locking mechanism is much harder to open without a key than your standard lock. A chain may be useful as another layer of prevention, but don’t rely on the chain alone.
Remember, thieves are seeking the path of least resistance. If you have more locks than the neighbors, thieves may target the easier entry.
Be sure that sliding glass doors to the balcony are secured with a security bar. Such doors are inherently weak and allow easier access.
For apartment living, look for a wireless alarm system that you’ll be able to take with you when you move out. The most secure system is a monitored system.2
If monitoring doesn’t appeal to you, there are alarm systems that simply alert you to an intruder instead. Some of these systems and devices can be controlled by your smartphone for ease of use and access.
Ask the company for stickers to alert others that your home is under surveillance.
By investing in good blinds or drapes, you prevent potential intruders from seeing into your home. Be sure to close them when you leave home so curious eyes can’t scan the interior.
For additional security, especially for ground-level units, consider additional physical protection. Security film, for example, can make the glass more difficult to break into. In high-risk areas, more extreme measures like window bars might be appropriate.3
Purchase a home safe and ask your landlord if it’s okay to secure it to the floor so thieves can’t make off with it.
Find a safe that’s fireproof and waterproof as well. If you invest in a good one, it’ll keep your most valuable belongings safe from thieves and disasters alike.
Store cash, valuable papers, and jewels in your safe. You’ll have them on hand, but not vulnerable to theft or damage.
While it’s not a theft deterrent, tenant insurance covers your belongings in the event that they’re stolen (or otherwise damaged by certain events). On top of that, you’ll get coverage for extra living expenses if you have to move out of your apartment due to a covered loss and for your personal liability as well. Tenant insurance is usually inexpensive.
You may not think your possessions are worth a lot, but the cost of replacing them could be steep. Think of the cost of replacing your electronics, jewellery, bicycle, and everything else — it adds up quickly.
Tenant insurance can also help pay your extra expenses if you’re forced to move out due to an insured loss.
If there’s any possibility the thief is still in your apartment, leave and call 9-1-1.
Otherwise, start by filing a police report, contacting your landlord, and speaking with your neighbours to see if they noticed anything or were robbed themselves. You’ll also need to document the damage and lost items. If you have tenant insurance, report the theft to your insurance provider.
The best way to prevent storage unit break-ins is to use a secure lock that’s hard for thieves to snap open. Disc locks are one of the best options.4
If your storage unit is cage-style, set up sheets or panels to obscure what’s inside; thieves are less likely to break into a locker if they don’t know what’s inside it.
Keep a detailed inventory of what’s in your unit. This will help you notice quickly if something is missing and make an insurance claim easier if your storage unit gets robbed.
Typically, if the storage unit is included in your rental agreement, the landlord is responsible for maintenance.
But, in the event of a break-in, they are unlikely to be held responsible for the theft. You would need to start a claim under your tenant insurance policy to recover the loss.
Sources
Want to learn more? Visit our Home and Personal Safety resource centre to find more information about protecting your family and your home. Or, get an online quote in under 5 minutes and find out how affordable personalized home insurance can be.
Get a personalized online home insurance quote in just 5 minutes and see how much money you can save by switching to Square One.
Even when you take precautions, accidents can happen. Home insurance is one way to protect your family against financial losses from accidents. And, home insurance can start from as little as $15/month.
