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Is apartment living safer?

waloshin

waloshin

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Oct 9, 2008
3,554
382
I always wondered if living in an apartment is safer then living in a house.

These are the reason why I believe so.

A) You are surrounded by people, so if anyone ever broke into your apartment at nighttime someone would likely hear.

B) You are surrounded by people so it would deter criminals from doing anything.

What do you guys think?
 
I believe so. It your block has a good manager in the lobby/office and the key swipe to get up the elevator then it's great. I felt very secure in my apartment when I was there alone.
 
sammich said:
I believe so. It your block has a good manager in the lobby/office and the key swipe to get up the elevator then it's great. I felt very secure in my apartment when I was there alone.
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I feel extra safe because my rent lady / manager lives above me, so she is always around 10 feet away. lol
 
Funny you brought this up. I actually felt safer in my old apartment. My neighbors were really close by and we all had a nice relationship. Everyone always looks out for one another.

Now in my house when a neighbor's alarm goes off the whole neighborhood can hear it but no one cares. Seems if there was a real crime no one would bother to help see what's going on.

Sometimes I would leave for work after lunch and forget to close my patio door. Lived 2 blocks from the beach and had plenty of people walk by my place but never had a trouble. I knew my neighbors would watch out. :D
 
steviem said:
What if your rent lady is a murderer. She has easy access to your apartment and could slit your throat in your sleep.
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Kinky. And besides I have a personal alarm in my bedroom so nobody could get through without me knowing. :)

090215unknown2.jpg


*note not my bedroom.*
 
Some bits might be safer, some bits might not. If someone else accidentally (or purposely) started a fire below you then that might not be so good.
 
No. I live on 20 acres of land. If someone broke into my house they would simply disappear without a trace - lots of land to fertilize.

On a side note, I have 12 dogs. Nothing gets close to the house without my knowledge. Granted, I do have deer, raccoons, foxes, skunks, possums, bobcats, wild turkeys, and the occasional coyote or black bear that wanders by.

I'm a bit of a xenophobe, though. The farther away from people I get, the safer I feel.
 
Aeolius said:
No. I live on 20 acres of land. If someone broke into my house they would simply disappear without a trace - lots of land to fertilize.
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Note to self - Don't go anywhere near Aeolius' house! Compost is part human remains!
 
Zombie Acorn said:
Depends if they allow you to have a gun in your apartment complex.
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http://upc.*************/uploads/smilies/megarolleyes3.gif

OK, cowboy. Please spare us your illusions of safety and keep the thread out of the political forum.




I think either can be safe or more at risk depending on where you live. I live in a flat/apartment and even as UNsoundproof as these places are I had no idea when the neighbours had a break in, and I was home! They're so noisy themselves that nothing sounded out of the ordinary. (They lucked out that nothing much was taken. I wonder if I would have noticed if it was a full-on break in. Think it was kids that came in through a window and could only take what fit through that window because they couldn't use the doors on account of the way our door locks work... but that's another story.) And this is a fairly nice area. Thieves and bad stuff can happen anywhere and in any kind of home.
 
I think you also need to specify whether the apartment is a lower floor or upper floor. Lower floors can be broken into far more easily from the outside than upper floors.

I think if all other factors are equal, then apartments and houses are equally safe. Houses are more far apart, so harder for the neighbours to see all entry points. Apartments tend to be in more densely populated areas, so there are more people around who might have an interest in your "stuff".

I believe that regardless of apartment or house living, what is safest is whether you know your neighbours or not. If people know you, know your friends and routines, and are concerned about your well-being then your "stuff" is safe. Of course, you would then call your neighbours 'busy-bodies' and be annoyed at how nosey they are.... :)
 
I should think living in a single family house would be safer for several reasons.

For instance, you won't have a hundred other people living in your building any of whom could be unsafe with overloaded extension cords or lit cigarettes that could burn your building down. You won't have uncounted potential domestic disputes going on in your building or crackheads selling drugs. Basically in your own house you only have to worry about yourself doing something stupid.

In your own home you don't have uncounted people living in the same building that don't even have to go outside to rob you. And of course in your own home there's much less chance that you (or someone else) will shoot at a robber and miss and have the bullet go through a wall and hurt someone on the other side. That's a huge plus right there.
 
Too many variables to say, the neighbourhood and how well you know your neighbours. Who you share your building with, how big the building is....

One benefit of apartments is you have the extra "buffer" of a building entrance door to keep trouble makers (canvassing politicians, TV license collectors....) away from your apartment's door. The danger is: in a large building someone is likely to buzz people in, and once inside and away from prying eyes it's probably easier to kick/force a door in.

I once (stupidly!) buzzed someone into my building when they claimed they'd forgotten their keys (I was new to the building so didn't know them); a few minutes later I hear heavy banging on a door. I later learned the door to one apartment is a bit fragile, and whenever friends of the occupier want a place to stay, they find some way into the building, then kick the door in to the apartment. :rolleyes:
 
On thing about apartments is there are a lot more targets to hit and a group and easily hit multiple ones up ones.

I have always felt safer in a house than an apartment. Plus I do not have to deal with the noise issues. I can be a bit loader and later at night with out fear of bothering people around me and at the same time I do not have to deal with the noise from others.
 
In my experience neighborhoods with homes are a lot more likely to be occupied by watchful vigilant neighbors who are looking out for each other. When we get suspicious acting people in the neighborhood everyone on the block gets an email. We all know each other thanks to block watch meetings, block parties, neighborhood garage sales and the like so there's a stronger bond, resulting in the greater safety of a community rather than the "safety" of increased isolation.
 
I feel much safer in my house because I have full control over my environment. Living in an apartment, the guy next door could be careless overloading electrical circuits, smoking in bed, etc, causing a fire.
I'm friendly with all my neighbors. We all look out for each other. Plus it's quiet here. No apartment for me.
 
iBlue said:
http://upc.*************/uploads/smilies/megarolleyes3.gif

OK, cowboy. Please spare us your illusions of safety and keep the thread out of the political forum.




I think either can be safe or more at risk depending on where you live. I live in a flat/apartment and even as UNsoundproof as these places are I had no idea when the neighbours had a break in, and I was home! They're so noisy themselves that nothing sounded out of the ordinary. (They lucked out that nothing much was taken. I wonder if I would have noticed if it was a full-on break in. Think it was kids that came in through a window and could only take what fit through that window because they couldn't use the doors on account of the way our door locks work... but that's another story.) And this is a fairly nice area. Thieves and bad stuff can happen anywhere and in any kind of home.
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How is that a cowboy statement? What's wrong with guns? I don't feel safer in a apartment as I do in a house. People always walking by, strange noises.

I have a shotgun in my place, but it's put up. Just in storage. I don't even think it has shells in it. Why are people so against guns?
 
cantthinkofone said:
How is that a cowboy statement? What's wrong with guns? I don't feel safer in a apartment as I do in a house. People always walking by, strange noises.

I have a shotgun in my place, but it's put up. Just in storage. I don't even think it has shells in it. Why are people so against guns?
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I keep a loaded shotgun under my bed. (no kids in my house) Better to be safe than sorry.
 
cantthinkofone said:
I have a shotgun in my place, but it's put up. Just in storage. I don't even think it has shells in it. Why are people so against guns?
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You should get that shotgun out, clean it up and then get it ready to use in defense of your home and loved ones if necessary. Shotguns are unequaled as home defense weapons.
 
If you have dodgy neighbours then noise arguments can really escalate and put your safety at risk (I've seen it and been involved in spats like that over the 12 years I've been renting). The neighbours can themselves become the risk as opposed to burglars from outside.

Otherwise I think it can be safer for the reasons the guys stated above.
 
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