Are First Floor Apartments Dangerous? Truth Revealed

Whenever you buy or rent a house, you assume it to be a safe haven where you can comfortably rest & relax. When finalizing your house, ensure to just check your list of security. With crime increasing year by year in the United States, it is imperative that the place we choose to stay is secure from attacks of any kind. Sometimes we might even end up staying on the first floor of an apartment. This is when the question arises – Are first floor apartments dangerous? Do they get robbed more? Maybe they are but we can work our way through them and make it safer.

We will look to answer those questions in our post below.

Do First Floor Apartments Get Robbed More?

First, we get to the root of the question, is it easier to rob an apartment on the first floor? The answer is yes but there’s no reason to believe that we cannot make it safer. Statistically, first-floor apartments are located near the ground level which makes it a tiny bit easier for burglars to carry out their routine tasks.

This is one of the reasons why in a lot of places the first-floor building apartments are cheaper to buy & rent besides being stairs free. They often come with a less appealing view as well. Obviously, this doesn’t mean the building unit at the top level won’t get robbed. But if you live on the first floor the time’s ripe to look up places and areas which can be easier for intruders to search.

Reasons Why They Are Riskier

Below are the two major reasons why they are riskier than the other building unit.

They Are At The Ground Level

The first-floor apartment unit is closer to the base which makes it easier for robbers to gain access. Not only that but the windows can be easily accessible too and in some cases may not even require a ladder of some sort to climb and break-in.

Not only thieves & intruders but apartments at the base level are in some cases closer to garbage disposal areas. This can mean a possibility of rodents and pest attacks, which you need to be aware of.

If proper steps are taken and all problem areas are addressed, then indeed your apartment can be very safe.

It Is Generally More Noisier

Thieves like to carry out their activities in silence but what if you’re not used to silence in the first place? Living in a first-floor or a ground-floor apartment means a lot of moving noise on the streets. This will make it hard to notice if someone breaks in, even in the middle of the night. Sometimes, the next-door neighbors can make the ordeal even worse.

Steps To Make Your First Floor Apartment Safer

Despite the risks, ensure you have all your bases covered so when an incident strikes, you have your systems in place.

Invest In A Glass Break Detector

Investing in glass break detectors are a must if your windows are easily accessible from the outside. These detectors have advanced over the years and are able to notify homeowners whenever someone breaks in.

Their sensitivity can also be adjusted so they can notify you of a glass break even before the glass actually breaks. Their sensors can sense the vibrations on the glass and can cause the alarm to sound.

In most cases, this is enough to scare away the burglars trying to gain access and put you in a good spot to address the situation.

Make Your Entrance Doors Secure

Your entrance doors should be secure & robust so as no one invades your privacy. If you’re owning a house on the first or a ground-floor then it makes sense to invest in a good thick door that cannot be easily breached. However, if you’re renting a place then this is a crucial factor to make your renting decision.

You never want to stay at a place whose entrance door is easy to break in by force. Better yet invest in a doorbell camera if your place doesn’t already have one. You can adjust the settings so that it can notify you on your mobile phone whenever someone is at the front door.

Here’s a good quality video doorbell if you’re looking for one.

Look For Elevated First Floor Apartments

If at all you’re buying or renting a place look for apartments that are elevated. You’ll find that there are a lot of places where the apartment is higher up from the bottom level. These apartments are a lot safer in terms of security than the ones that are closer to the ground.

An apartment that is a good six to eight feet or even more elevated from the ground level will be tougher for the intruders to crack.

Make Sure Your Insurance Is In Check

Another one and perhaps the most crucial step to consider. Always ensure to have an insurance policy in place. Many a time even the best security measures are breached and sometimes that can happen due to unnatural events as well. Unnatural events like a fire or other weather-related events can come unnanounced.

In these cases, it is paramount that you have an insurance policy to fall back on in case something goes wrong. The policy premiums per year are also nominal these days so having them is a no-brainer.

If you have inventories like jewelry or other expensive items then having insurance is even more important. It is to be noted that only basic inventory that includes everyday items like electronics etc are covered in a basic policy. Expensive items will need to have a separate insurance policy to cover them.

In case you’re not sure whether you can fully protect them, it is always wise to have them secured by a policy.

Not only that but keep a record of purchases you make, keep your credit card statements safe & take account for the value of inventories. Ensure you have a proof for all the items and inventories beforehand. Collecting proof could even mean taking pictures of the items you own. This practice makes it easier to claim for items when applying for reimbursement.

Take Police Assistance In Case Of An Emergency

Never hesitate to call 911 or your nearest police station in case of an emergency. In doubtful situations and even when you’re not 100% sure pick up your phone and call the cops.