Apartment safety tips. Check your local police department for information on the crime rate near the apartment you want. If you are looking for an apartment, you will want to keep some safety tips in mind....
If you are looking for an apartment, you will want to keep some safety tips in mind. Our apartment locating expert, Jerry Yelvington, real estate agent for Avery Windsor Properties, says security should be a top priority.
"You definitely want to ask if there is a courtesy patrol on the property. Then, you want to see how often they go by. To find out about property safety information, look to your local police website and see how many calls they've had out to the area you plan to move into," Yelvington says.
Yelvington says fire safety is another concern. Because families in apartment complexes live so close together, there are special areas of concern when it comes to fire safety.
Apartment complexes are simply a series of small, connected homes. It's important to remember that what you do in your apartment can affect people living six-doors down, or even in the next building.
Here are some hazards that can affect people who live in apartments:
Often, there is only one way in or out -- no back door. Stairways are often built entirely of wood. If the stairwell or walkway is on fire, you may not be able to exit through the front door. Congested parking can mean blocked fire hydrants and/or blocked fire lanes. (A ladder truck can be 8 - 9-feet wide, and 50-feet long. A blocked fire lane can slow down response time.) An apartment building is, in effect, a very densely populated neighborhood. (If the downstairs or next door apartment is on fire, it can spread quickly to adjoining apartments in a matter of minutes.) Without properly working smoke alarms, it make take a lengthy amount of time before finding out that another part of the apartment building is on fire. Consequently, this could cut your chances of getting out of the building alive.
Make sure you have smoke alarms that work. The Fire Code requires working smoke alarm(s) in every apartment unit. Existing apartments require smoke alarms in the hallway outside sleeping areas. Newly constructed apartments now require them IN the sleep room, as well. Remember to check the batteries once a month, and replace the batteries once a year.
The apartment complex is required to have a fire extinguisher within 75-feet travel distance. If extinguishers are not provided outside the apartments, then each apartment is required to have one.
The Fire Code states that no person shall use fixed or portable barbecues in or under any attached covered patios, balconies, covered walkways or roof overhangs.
When in use, barbecues should be located on ground level and be a minimum of 5-feet from buildings, structures, covered walkways or roof overhangs.
Don't park in front of fire hydrants and don't park in fire lanes. Respecting the fire restrictions may literally save your life. When friends visit, be sure to remind them to park only in appropriate parking areas.
In the end, Yelvington says never leave smoking materials burning. Never smoke in bed.
The most common cause of apartment fires is careless disposal of smoking materials.
