Date Posted: 2012-06-13 06:24:01
Site Posted: Myproperty.ph
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Occupying a rental property is often the only option for people who can’t buy a house. However, as much as you want to save money, you shouldn’t do it at the expense of your safety.
Landlords try to make their house, apartment or condo for rent as safe as they can, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t double-check how effective they are in staving off crime and accidents. Here are some things that you ought to look at when determining the safety of your rental property.
Neighborhood safety
· Find out from the property manager and the local government if there have been regular occurrences of crime in the area in the recent years or months.
· Ask the owner of the property for rent if he screens tenants for criminal records.
· Return to the property in the evening and see how safe it is and how secure you feel.
Safety from trespassers
· If you are looking at a condo or apartment for rent, see if there are guards that keep the public from entering the complex without permission.
· Ask if the lock to your unit has been changed since the last tenant left, and if you can do so if the landlord hasn’t.
· Check the door for a peep hole that will allow you to see who is at the door without having to open it.
Fire safety
· See to it that the house or the unit is equipped with a smoke detector.
· Find out how easy it would be to leave the condo or apartment in case of emergencies by checking for emergency exits or fire escapes.
· Check the rental’s electrical wiring for fire safety dangers (insufficient outlets requiring permanent use of extension cords, broken light switches or socket covers, burn marks around outlets, etc.).
Child safety
· Find out if the pool area of the condo or apartment is equipped with childproof gates that will keep kids without adult supervision from using it.
· See if the windows are equipped with childproof locks so that young children won’t open them and risk falling out.
Jillian Cariola, Writer
(cover image by Kaptain Kobold)
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