Not everyone can afford to buy a home for their family to live in. Or, not everyone sees this as a practical idea for them. Consequently, there are plenty of families living in rental homes. There are pros and cons of renting, and one significant difference between it and owning a house is that you aren’t in control of the property. As such, you need to ensure that the home you’re living in is safe for your family.
Bearing that in mind, here’s what you need to do:
Report any problems to the landlord immediately
As soon as you rent a place, you should check it for any issues. Things like loose electrical wires, leaking pipes, dodgy cabinet hinges, and protruding nails can all cause a personal injury to you or someone in your family. The problem is that you don’t own the property, so you can’t take action yourself. Tell your landlord about any issues that arise, and they should come and fix it right away. If they don’t, keep persisting until they do. After all, it’s in their best interest as well as yours because if you get hurt, they’re to blame and you can sue them.
Install security cameras
There are loads of things you can’t do, but you can definitely install your own security cameras on your rental premises. They’re easy to find, and you can set them up in a matter of minutes. This keeps your home safe as you can now see what’s going on outside your property and monitor what happens inside as well. They’re temporary too, so your landlord can’t complain that you’ve altered the property. At the very least, you can install fake security cameras to try and ward off any potential burglars.
Ask for additional locks
Normally, when you move into a home you’ve bought, you will install new locks and add some to windows and other doors, etc. In a rental, you don’t have the ability to do this as you please. But, you can ask your landlord to install additional locks in your home. You may want some on the windows for added protection, or some on separate rooms in the home – or possibly just an extra lock on the front door. This gives you a security boost as you don’t know how many previous tenants lived there or how many keys are currently out there that have access to your home. This is a request your landlord should agree to as they’re legally required to keep you safe.
Living in a rental home does have plenty of advantages, but the biggest downside is not being in full control. This can make you feel unsafe, but my advice should help you counter that. The tips here are all very simple, but they will keep you and your family as safe as can be, regardless of where you’re renting. Don’t be afraid to keep bugging your landlord as well, they have to listen to you, and you can always take legal action if they don’t.