Security precautions for condo dwellers

Living in a condominium means sharing space, including a building’s entrances, elevators, hallways and parking lots.

While those common spaces can be important for interactions between neighbours, they can also create security issues, as residents don’t always know who else is in their building.

Const. Dale Brenneis, an officer with Edmonton Police Service’s Collaborative Policing Unit, helps run a program that brings crime prevention techniques to buildings throughout the city called the Crime Free Multi-Housing Program.

Brenneis offers his advice on keeping your condo safe.

KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOURS

“It’s important to know who is living in the building,” Brenneis said.

While apartment building owners often have an outside manager who can conduct background checks on new tenants, Brenneis said that’s not always the case with condos.

Buildings that are certified through the Crime Free Multi-Housing Program must have a diligent application process, including thoroughly screening each applicant using credit checks, employment checks, and contacting previous landlords.

Another requirement is that the building manager or property owner must host a ‘safety social’ with residents every two years.

Police attend the social and advise residents about the program and provide personal safety tips on how to protect themselves and their building.

You can help keep your condo safe by getting to know your neighbours.

Knowing what’s normal activity for your building can help you recognize situations that seem out of place or suspicious.

DON’T NAME NAMES

“Never put your first name on the tenant directory board,” Brenneis advises. “Just use your last name.”

Some residents prefer to not even post their last name, instead just listing “occupied.”

When Brenneis and other officers conduct building inspections, they also check parking areas and advise against putting a stall number on a parking spot that’s clearly associated to a particular unit.

“Label it A, B or C, or just name it differently.

“Don’t associate it to the unit lived in,” Brenneis said.

LOCK UP

Brenneis advises condo dwellers to always lock their unit’s door, even if they’re just heading downstairs for a few minutes to move their clothes from the washer to the dryer.

“People like to think they live in a safe place and they know their neighbours, but you don’t always know the people they bring in,” he said.

There should be a high-quality deadbolt on every suite’s door, he said, and a peephole to see who might be outside knocking. Balconies or patios should also be locked.

Brenneis advises condo owners with accessible windows or patio doors to buy a secondary lock system.

“Sometimes the one on there is not great. It can be plastic and cheap and easily pried open,” he said.

Placing a broom handle or hockey stick in the track of any sliding glass doors can prevent them from being opened from the outside.

COMMON PROBLEM SPOTS

The front and back doors to condo buildings are “big issues,” Brenneis said.

“It’s common sense, but don’t let people into your building you don’t know,” he said.

Underground parkades are another problem spot. “They are a big target for thefts — both thefts from autos and thefts of autos,” he said.