As a landlord, you spend a lot of time and money making sure your investment is protected. You do regular inspections, thoroughly screen any tenants who want to live there and make sure all preventative maintenance is taken care of. It’s also important to protect your property and your tenants from crime. Whether your house is vacant or occupied, you don’t want it to be a target for criminals. Today, we’re talking about a few of the things you can do to make sure your Phoenix rental home is safe.

Locks

Change the locks on your property every time a tenant moves out. We also highly recommend installing deadbolt locks on your doors. This will give tenants an extra bit of security when they are inside. You should also consider having heavy, solid doors at your property rather than the hollow models that are easy to break down. Look for security hinges you can install on your doors to ensure no one will be able to force their way inside. All screens and windows should also have functioning locks. Elaborate security systems are not necessary, and might only cause confusion for tenants. However, if your rental property is going to be vacant for a while, installing a basic alarm system might be a good idea.

Lighting

Good exterior lighting is one of the smartest ways to protect your home from crime. When your home is well-lit, there’s a much lower risk that someone will even approach it, let alone try to break in. Install bright lights at all doors, garages and other points of entry. Consider motion lights that will turn on automatically anytime there is movement on your property. Interior lighting should also be abundant and easy to access. Minimize the dark spots found in the exterior and interior of your home.

Access

Access to your property should be limited to the people who are renting it, their guests and anyone you authorize to be there. Explain to the tenants that keys are not to be handed out and any security codes to gates should not be shared. This is something you can include in your lease, and make sure you talk to the tenants about the seriousness of crime prevention before they move in. Awareness is one of the most important things that can prevent crime. Make sure you know your neighborhood and take the necessary precautions to keep your property and tenants safe. If you have any questions or you need further advice, please contact us at PRS Property Management.