One of the biggest concerns when it comes to renting an apartment is safety. Feeling safe in your own home is important to any renter. There are a few steps you can take to help in your research.
- View the neighborhood crime rate. Using the Apartment Safety Checker tool, you can compare the criminal activity in your chosen area.
- Visit the area. If possible, walk, drive, or take a bus through the area to see how safe it is. If there is a particular route you would use to get to school or work, use that. Consider the quality of the area both during the day and at night.
- During your apartment tour, look for secure entrances and exits; lighting around sidewalks, stairwells, hallways, mailboxes, laundry rooms and other common areas; and security features such as peepholes, deadbolt locks, and any on-site security.
The Apartment Safety Checker Map, created in conjunction with Sandy Springs Police, provides the numbers on incidents reported within the individual apartment communities. Included as part of the Apartment Safety Checker program are: Part One Crime (murder, rape robbery, aggravated assault, theft, motor vehicle theft, arson, narcotics offenses), as well as Disorderly Conduct and Loitering/Prowling. Any unfounded reports of crime are excluded from the totals.