As a woman that has lived in apartment complexes for many years, I thought I would share some safety tips for apartment living.
An apartment complex is like a small town where you have your friends, people whose faces just look familiar and some people that are complete strangers. There are places in the complex where you are more likely to gather with others. Some of these areas are; the office for the apartments, the club house, the laundry room, the pool/tennis courts area, the mailboxes section and the trash dumping area. Below is a breakdown of the different locations and the precautions you might consider:
Office Area
This is usually the safest place of the complex because there usually is more than one person present. It is where some checks are dropped off by renters or someone is complaining about their kitchen sink, etc. You still need to keep your guard up, in case someone for some reason gets angry, but usually the anger is targeted toward the office employee.
Mailbox Area
This area is one of the most dangerous and you should always keep your guard up! Criminals keep a close eye on mailbox sections of an apartment complex. Why? Because people are pretty predictable as to when they check their mail. Attackers like the fact that if they observe you for a few days, they can pretty much predict when you are going to check your mailbox. Usually people go to this section when they drive home from work. When you approach your mailbox, look around you. If there are a few people present, it is safer, but if you are the only one there, please be very cautious, especially at night. Always prepare your self defense product and have it in your hand and prepared to be used, prior to approaching the mailbox area.
Club House Area
Some complexes have club houses to rent them out for parties, but others have indoor recreational things such as pool and ping pong tables, pin ball machines, video games etc. Club houses can be very popular, especially on the weekends and in the evenings. Many times you will encounter people who are drinking alcoholic beverages that they brought from their apartment. It is always wise to go to club houses with a friend. Once in a while you will encounter a sore looser at a card game, for example, that can become violent and take it out on whomever is nearby. If you meet a new person, be careful on giving out your apartment number. Be aware also if someone is following you back to your apartment. If you are in fear of being followed, go to a friend's apartment, if you know they are home.
Tennis Court or Pool Area
The tennis court is pretty safe because you usually are accompanied by a tennis partner. The pool area is also pretty safe since it is very open and everyone is in plain site. Even when you are alone, an attacker will avoid an area that many people can see easily. Just make sure that when you leave the pool area, you prepare your self defense product ahead of time, prior to walking back to your apartment. This is important, because, since you are in plain site, that also means that a potential attacker or stalker could have also been looking at you. Keep in mind, that if you are going to the pool on a regular basis, try to go at different times of the day. This will make your schedule less predictable. If you are alone, try NOT to go at night.
Laundry Room Area
Here is another section of an apartment complex that is very dangerous. For one, it is noisy because of the machines. This noise can easily cover up someones scream or cry for help. For some reason, people feel they need to chat with whomever else is doing laundry. This can be a great tool for an assailant to get more information from you that you shouldn't have given to him in the first place! Be careful what you tell a complete stranger. Even if he is the cutest guy, and my, so meticulous with his neatly folded laundry! Impressive right? NO! Potential attackers play a caring role to make you feel comfortable and therefore letting your guard down. Again in this situation make sure you have a self defense product readily available.
Trash Dump Area
This area is of much concern because most people dump their trash at night, after dinner. If you don't want to wait until morning, please be very careful about this. If your trash dump area is dark, ask the apartment complex manager to install some kind of lighting around it. This may prove to be difficult but it is worth a try. You might want to consider asking a few female friends, that live there, to join in your request. Always take your self defense product with you and prepare it to be used. Always move cautiously toward the site and look around carefully as you approach. If you see someone that you do not recognize near it, maybe leaning against their car or smoking... Just turn around and go back home. You can always try later. It is better to be cautious than hurt or killed. If your trash is heavy, just set it down somewhere temporarily, where you can pick it up later.
