Renters: Protect Yourself From Crime

How savvy tenants can get landlords to prevent crime.

1. Demand the security promised to you.
 Few landlords can resist the urge to puff up the attributes of their property when you're considering renting a unit. Many, knowing that security is high on most tenants' lists, will assure you -- through advertisements or orally -- that the property is safe and protected by security systems and personnel. If you rely on these promises when deciding to rent, you are entitled to see them carried out. Your landlord's failure to provide the promised doorman, rekey the locks, or fix the broken door lock may be grounds for you to take legal action, as explained below.

2. Check state and local laws.
 In many parts of the country, landlords must provide minimum safety equipment, such as peepholes, deadbolts, window locks, and safety glass. To find out whether such laws apply to your landlord, get a copy of your local housing code from your city manager or mayor; or look it up in your public library.

State-wide requirements (such as the Texas Security Devices Act) are found in state housing laws, available online (see Nolo's landlord-tenant statutes) and in law and public libraries. In many instances, landlords who fail to comply with these laws are subject to fines, or the tenants themselves can install the necessary equipment and deduct the cost from their rent.

3. Be the criminal.
Even if your landlord is not subject to specific equipment laws, and has made no promises about safety or protection, you're still entitled to some measure of protection. Analyze the building -- its entrances, lighting and windows -- as if you were a criminal on the prowl. How hard would it be to get in?

If getting in would be easy, and deterring an intruder would also be relatively simple by taking basic steps such as installing locks and lights and trimming bushes, your landlord's duty to take these steps increases. Consider the neighborhood, too: Have there been criminal incidents nearby? If so, your landlord is bound to take more effective steps than if the area were completely crime-free.

4. Meet with your landlord.
Explain your concerns to your landlord. Point out any local or state laws that apply, the landlord's promised security measures, and the results of your analysis of the building's vulnerability to intruders. Make specific requests, and follow up with a written request if necessary.

Surprisingly, many landlords faced with determined and knowledgeable tenants will listen up as they realize that not taking care of business can, in the long run, be much more expensive and time-consuming than paying attention to the problem now. If you know the name of your landlord's insurance carrier, asking the agent to get involved might prove especially effective.