My youngest daughter recently moved to an apartment community in Orlando, Florida.
Young and on her own with her fiancé and child, naturally I worry about her.
I'm a typical "Mom.
" But, I think my worries are substantiated since I have a firsthand knowledge of the apartment management business.
Knowing that management must have access to her dwelling at all times and that they retain a copy of her house key concerns me.
She may be at a higher than normal risk for a home intrusion.
It's often a good thing that maintenance and management has access to a resident's apartment key.
For instance, my daughter was recently visiting from Orlando and her fiancé was traveling.
At 2 A.
M.
she suddenly awakens me to say that she thinks she left her iron on.
After three calls to the after-hours emergency line and two mildly hysterical calls to (the non-english speaking) maintenance man..
he (the maintenance man) finally let himself into her unit to make sure she hadn't left her iron on.
It was like a scene out of I love Lucy.
I really thought it was quite funny, but then it occurred to me.
Great.
They have a key to her place, she's alone a lot and now this person knows they travel.
She had now opened herself up to an array of security situations that concerned me.
Typical Mom? Sure thing.
Why worry when you can be proactive.
Read on.
I told her that she needed to get the name of the person who entered her dwelling, and then I told her to invest in some type of anti-intrusion device.
There are many to choose from.
I suggested a combination telephone, motion sensor, and a microphone, that doubles as a monitoring system and when programmed to do so, would notify her immediately when and if someone crosses that motion sensor.
All she has to do to activate it is to put her cell phone number into the device then hang-up after switching the motion sensor to "on.
" If she is out and about with her baby, there's no way she'll walk back into her home with an unwanted visitor who may have decided to let themselves in with her key.
If she is traveling she doesn't have to wonder if someone is in her dwelling.
Once activated this device will notify her the minute someone enters her home.
For approximately one minute after it rings into her cell phone, she will be able to listen in to determine whether it's a friend or foe in her apartment.
From a safe location she can contact the authorities should she feel her valuables or her family is threatened.
This anti-intrusion device has no difficult installation or activation procedures-- Simply plug it in as you would any other phone! When you're ready to activate the device--simply enter the phone number where you want to be reached and switch the motion sensor to "on.
" This home security device is great for seniors in assisted living facilities and kids in college dorms who have access to regular home phone service.
Even if your loved one is sleeping in another room at night and someone breaks in, they can be notified on their cell phone, which can be kept nearby on a night stand.
Quietly they can lock the door or have another safe place to go while they phone the police, should the motion sensor detect an intruder.
If you live in a home it can be used as a back up security device.
Why wait to find out who is in your home when your alarm goes off.
Once the alarm is verified and reverified, it could be too late.
This device allows you to listen in immediately, so you can determine for yourself if there is an intruder in your home.
There are many security devices and services to choose from.
I have the typical home security alarm but it's expensive and I'm not sure if it's a great investment for apartment dwellers.
I pay a monthly fee for activation and in many areas should the alarm activate, if I cannot be reached to verify that the alarm is going off, law enforcement is not dispatched.
Or, even worse there's the issue of contracts and false alarms, etc.
I've heard horror stories about some of the top home security alarm companies and their tactics.
For many, these services are simply not affordable.
There are things to consider when choosing a security or ant-theft device or service.
The security device that I've recommended to my daughter will not work if you don't have a land line.
With so many people switching over to cell phone service, this product would not be feasible.
But, there are many good products to choose from.
It boils down to preference, availability and cost.
I've worked in the apartment rental industry and on more than one occasion a maintenance men was terminated for theft of valuables from an apartment he had full access to.
Let's face it, we want our loved ones to be safe from any type of crime.
Valuables can be replaced, our loved ones cannot.
It happens more frequently than you would think.
And this applies to almost anywhere you live, not just apartment communities.
Some criminals are the ones that know when you go to work and when you come home.
Would you really know it if someone who has a key to enter your rental unit were in your dwelling or would you not know until it was too late?Let me reiterate, not all people who work in this industry would take advantage of the fact that they have access to your home key, and no matter where you live you are at some sort of risk for an intrusion.
So, simply get some type of added protection.
It's worth the price and your peace of mind.