Give Renters What They Want Most at Home: Safety & Security

The people have spoken. The top two features people look for in housing are security and fire safety, says a study by the Bethesda-based Society for Fire Protection.

The study says 43% of those polled answered with one of those two categories as the most important. With such overwhelming numbers behind security and fire safety, landlords should pay close attention. Chris Jelenewicz, an engineering program manager with SFPE, says landlords can, and often should, make simple changes that will have a high impact on both security and fire safety.

“When security and fire protection aren’t coordinated, it can lead to devastating affects,” Jelenewicz says. “It can be an issue at any property, really.”

Among the simplest improvements a landlord can make is ensuring all exits to a building are clear of obstructions/ blockages of any kind. This can include plants, stored equipment, etc.

Jelenewicz says it is shocking how many buildings, especially high-rise buildings with auxiliary staircases, use areas such as back staircases to store boxes and random items occasionally needed on site.

Another somewhat easy fix it is arming auxiliary doors with alarms, so they can not be accessed to enter the building and only will be used as exits in emergencies. A similar renovation would be installing technology that forces a 10-second delay before a door will open in a low-traffic part of a building. Jelenewicz calls the measure a key new crime deterrent.

“If someone stealing a TV or a laptop in that situation, they’ll likely drop it and leave [through a more accessible/ more public exit], says Jelenewicz.

If the landlord is involved in building or overhaul of a rental property, it would behoove him/her to consult a fireprevention engineer during the design phase to make sure new safety issues aren’t being created, says Jelenewicz. Remember, spending money up-front could save a lot more money down the road.