Your Central New Jersey apartment won’t feel like much of a haven if you’re a victim of a break-in or suffer a fall or another type of injury. Fortunately, staying safe within your home can be as easy as following these simple tips.

Look for Secured Access

When starting your search for a new apartment, be sure to seek out communities that offer secured access buildings that require use of a key fob or code to get in. Having these security features in place helps keep unwanted guests out of the community and helps keep residents safe. When you tour these communities, you should also look to see if they have cameras setup throughout hallways, common areas, etc.

Repair or Replace Broken Items  

It may seem a shame to throw away a drinking glass just because it has a tiny crack. Unfortunately, even small cracks can weaken the integrity of the glass, increasing the risk that it will break the next time you take a sip. Throwing out damaged glasses and dishes can help you avoid a trip to urgent care for stitches.

Don’t use small appliances, like blenders, mixers, toasters, microwave ovens, flat irons or hair dryers, if they’re noticeably damaged, produce smoke when you use them, shock you or constantly trip a circuit breaker.

Eliminate Tripping Hazards  

Everyone laughs when TV characters trip and fall, but falls are no joke. Tripping over a rug, a pair of shoes or a stack of books could result in a fall that causes cuts, bruises, broken bones or head injuries. Reduce clutter in your apartment by donating, selling or throwing out things you no longer need and finding places to stow the things you want to keep.

Secure rugs with non-slip rug pads, or anchor them with a heavy piece of furniture. If a piece of wall-to-wall carpet or flooring comes loose, submit a maintenance request right away. Turn on the lights during middle-of-the-night bathroom trips, or use a nightlight or motion-sensitive plug-in lights to illuminate your way.

Have you run out of room for all of your belongings? Some apartment communities, like Fairway 28, offer on-site storage facilities for an additional fee.

Make Fire Safety a Priority

Smoke alarms save lives, but only if they’re working properly. Test your alarms every month and report any non-functioning alarms to maintenance. Reduce your risk of an apartment fire by:

• Throwing away papers and other combustible materials promptly.
• Ensuring there is a fire extinguisher in your kitchen. (More than 172,000 fires per year were caused by cooking mishaps between 2014 - 2018, according to the National Fire Protection Agency.)
• Keep space heaters (if allowed) at least three feet away from other objects.
• Don’t run extension cords under rugs.
• Avoid overloading outlets with mega power strips.

Get to Know Your Neighbors 

It’s hard to tell who does and doesn’t belong in your apartment building if you don’t know your fellow tenants. Developing a relationship with your neighbors (even it’s just to say hello) makes apartment living much more pleasant and safe. If a key fob or code is required to enter the building, don’t hold the door open for other tenants unless you know them.

Secure Windows and Doors 

Unlocked windows and doors can make it easy for unwanted guests to access your apartment. Check the locks before you go to bed or leave your apartment. Don’t forget to lock the doors to your balcony too. Determined thieves may go from balcony to balcony in search of an open door.

Keep Valuables Safe and Out of Sight 

Don’t leave money or your most precious belongings in full view in your apartment, particularly if you live on the first floor. Find a secure hiding place and place these objects back in the hiding spot after using them.

Family Handyman has plenty of ingenious ideas for hiding places, including placing cash inside a hollow toilet paper bar or taping important documents to the back of a drawer. Of course, thieves may read the same articles you do. If a belonging is expensive or an item is impossible to replace, storing it in a bank safe deposit box may be the best option.

Newer is better when it comes to safety. Buildings that are brand new or just a few years old, like those in Country Classics’ Central New Jersey apartment communities, are built to meet modern fire prevention codes and are often secured access buildings. Contact us about current availability if you’ve been thinking about finding a new place to call home.