Safety Checklist

† Never disable smoke detectors! Have a fire evacuation plan with roommates. Don’t use candles or space heaters when you’re not in the room.

Don’t let a stranger into your apartment or house. When in doubt, don’t answer the door. Ask repair or service techs and delivery people to show official identification. Keep doors and windows locked both when you’re at home and when you go out. Keep windows covered with shades and curtains at night and when no one’s home. Don’t use laundry rooms, lounges or common areas in your apartment complex when alone. Don’t hide keys under mats or flower pots (the first places a burglar will look!). Instead, give a spare key to a trusted friend or neighbor.

If you’ll be away, don’t advertise this on social media or by leaving a note on the door. If all the roommates will be out of town (for example, over break), lock up the apartment/house and ask a neighbor to pick up any mail, flyers or newspapers that might be left at the door or in the driveway. You can have your mail held by the USPS. When you’re out of town, put a few lights on a timer so it looks like someone’s home. If you come home and it appears that your apartment or house has been broken into, get to a safe place and call 9-1-1 — do not enter.