subject: Be Responsible and Get a Home Alarm [print this page] Be Responsible and Get a Home Alarm Be Responsible and Get a Home Alarm
If you live in an apartment building without a doorman, then you have to trust the other people who live in your building to be responsible about who they let into the building and making sure that they close the front and back doors behind them at all times. If you do not think that everyone in the building is as responsible as you are, then you should make sure that you have a home alarm installed in your individual unit.
There are a lot of benefits to living in an apartment building with other tenants, but there are also some drawbacks. First of all, its great to live in an apartment building because building maintenance is taken care of by a third party and you don't have to worry about fixing something when the pipes break or the laundry room floods. These things are taken care of by the building's super or the management company and all you have to do is call for something to be fixed. But, when someone leaves the front door open all day because he or she is moving, waiting for a delivery or for whatever reason, you are responsible for the safety and security of your things. Since you cannot be responsible for everyone else in your buildings actions, you have to take charge to protect your own belongings. The best way to protect your belongings whether you are at home or not is to have an alarm system installed in your unit that is controlled by you and only you from the inside of your apartment. Alarm prices range greatly, but if you live in a building that only has one entryway in and out of each of the apartments, then you can save some money and just get an alarm that will sound when the door to the hallway is tampered with. If you live in a unit that also has a patio or balcony, then you should also get that door armed as well. If you are getting an alarm system installed, you might as well get everything taken care of at once instead of waiting and having the specialist come out twice to do the installation.
So because you can't control the actions of everyone else in your building, its important to take charge and get an alarm for your apartment on your own. Having an alarm can reduce your homeowner's insurance if you happen to own the unit and can reduce your renter's insurance if you happen to rent the unit. You may even be able to talk to your landlord if you are a renter to see if the installation qualifies you to send less more month on the rent since you are adding a he amenity to your unit and if you are an owner you will definitely be enhancing the property in order to increase the price of the unit if you are thinking about selling you unit in the future.
