Security Advice Tips for Students Accommodation & Housing

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Students remain a favourite target among burglars for two main reasons:

They own high-value gadgets such as mobile phones, laptops, and consoles, and
They have a more carefree attitude towards life, not worrying about locking the doors and windows and forgetting about security altogether.

This combination of factors makes them and their accommodation and housing facilities more susceptible to being broken into and burgled.

Whether you are a freshman or a senior in university, chances are that you have moved away from your home and are living in either a university-managed or rented accommodation with multiple other students.

For some, it might be the first time living on their own and dealing with safety and security risks may be a completely new domain for them.

To make the experience a safe and pleasant one, safety and security must be your top priority as student life is already stressful and having to deal with the effects of crime can cause added distress.

When moving into new accommodation, or returning to study for another year, there are a few security tips that every student must follow. Read on to learn all about them:

TIP # 1: CHECK THE LOCKS WHEN YOU MOVE IN

In both university-managed and rented accommodation, the first thing you must do before you move in with your belongings is to check the locks to see if they are working correctly or not.

Look out for damages and weaknesses such as rust, cracks, and stiffness since these affect the effectiveness of the locking mechanism and the safety of the lock and door.

Also, request information on how key duplication is regulated since it is easy to assume that the previous owners handed over their keys and no other copies were made whereas, in reality, it is extremely difficult to be sure if there are no regulations in place.

It is best to have good quality locks with patented keys that can’t be copied without proof of ownership or restricted keys that can’t be copied due to their unique design.

Other best practices include using keyless entry systems for student accommodations that eliminate the need for keys and use a variety of other authentication methods to grant or deny access.

Some of the most common authentication methods include access cards, access codes, proximity fobs, fingerprint scans, retina patterns, facial recognition, voice recognition, and Bluetooth.

Keyless entry systems are much safer and easy to control and manage than traditional keys and are the ideal solution for rented properties due to the following reasons:

They eliminate the need for keys that are prone to being lost, stolen, and easily copied.
The offer increased accessibility.
They allow giving temporary access to visitors instead of having to hand out physical keys.
Granting and revoking access is extremely easy.
Instead of having to rekey or replace the locks if they have been compromised, you can simply ‘cancel’ the access permissions.
You can monitor access into and out of the house by knowing who gained access through the system and when, and also if someone entered the wrong credentials, via the system logs.

TIP # 2: INSPECT AND ALWAYS LOCK THE DOORS AND WINDOWS

This is kind of a no-brainer. Step one in making your property secure against unauthorised access is to reinforce the doors and windows and always lock them.

Two things make a door strong and secure against intrusions – the material with which it is built and the effectiveness of the locking mechanism on it.

As is obvious, it wouldn’t really matter how strong your doors and locks are if you just leave them open. According to statistics, doors are the most common entry point for burglars with 67% of them using the front door.

What comes as a shock is that since most of these doors are left unlocked, quite a few simply “walk in” instead of having to even attempt to break into the house.

You may be tempted to leave the doors unlocked when you hang out with your friends, but these momentary lapses in judgement are just the opportunity that burglars and intruders are looking for.

Therefore, you must make it a habit to always locks your doors and windows when you leave the house and also when you are inside. For added security, we suggest locking the doors of your individual rooms as well and not hiding the keys in obvious places such as under the doormat or a flowerpot.

TIP # 3: WALK AROUND THE PROPERTY TO CHECK FOR VULNERABILITIES

One of the best ways to protect your home against burglaries is to think like a thief and case your own house for a burglary. Yes, you read that right.

For students living in shared housing privately rented from a landlord, you would want to make sure that the place is as secure as it can be.

Therefore, one of the first things that you must do is to check the exterior of the property for any weaknesses and vulnerabilities such as structural weaknesses, blind spots, and high-risk easy-access areas, and inform your landlord right away so that they can be rectified immediately.

TIP # 4: KEEP VALUABLES OUT OF SIGHT

While setting up your desk by the window might seem like an attractive idea, just know that it’s extremely attractive for burglars too.

Leaving your valuable items such as laptops and other gadgets in plain sight brings unwanted attention towards them and may be used as an opportunity by burglars to quickly grab them, especially if the doors or windows are left open or unlocked.

It may seem a bit over the top, but it may be best to hide your valuables when you go out of the house. Just find a secure hiding spot where you know no one could easily find your stuff.

For smaller items such as jewellery, you may invest in diversion safes that look like everyday objects but can be used to keep your valuables safe.

Also, to be on the safe side, if and when you buy valuable items, make sure to dispose of the boxes securely by breaking down the packaging and putting it in the recycling bin.

A brand-new box dumped outside your house is like telling everyone, including potential burglars, that there are expensive gadgets inside.

TIP # 5: DO NOT OVERSHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media has become an integral part of our lives, with students sharing and posting pictures of their day-to-day lives.

While it is a great tool for a variety of purposes, social media can also be used for stalking and getting hold of people’s personal information such as their names, addresses, phone numbers, and even daily routines.

We have all read about Kim Kardashian’s Paris robbery and how it is speculated that it was made possible due to oversharing on social media and compromising her security.

As a student, you must be extremely careful with what you share and how much you share on social media. You must not put up pictures of your house where the layout can be easily seen, of items of value that may be good and easy steals for burglars, and you must be careful about not posting about when the house is empty and unattended.

TIP # 6: REGISTER VALUABLES AND GET CONTENTS INSURANCE

It is always best to prepare for the worst, which is why registering your valuables on the UK’s National Property Register may be a good idea.

In the event of a burglary, having your valuables registered makes it easy for the police to track down the stolen items and increases the likelihood of them being retrieved.

In addition to that, while getting contents insurance may seem like an unnecessary overhead along with so many student bills to pay, it pays off in the long run.

WHAT TO DO AFTER A BURGLARY?

Sometimes, despite taking all the safety and security measures, burglaries may still happen and can be an extremely traumatising experience for students.

While it is immensely important to follow the aforementioned security tips to make your student accommodation and housing safe, you must also know the recommended course of action in case a burglary does take place inside your house.

Call the police and relevant authorities immediately.
If the burglars are still inside your house, do not confront them or try to tackle them.
Don’t touch anything and wait for the authorities to assess the scene and gather evidence.
Make a list of the items that are damaged or stolen – for both the police and the insurance company.
Contact your landlord and notify them of the incident so that the necessary arrangements and fixes can be done.
If your bank cards have been stolen, call your bank immediately and let them know so that the cards can be blocked to prevent misuse.
Get a crime reference number from the police.
Complete your insurance claim as soon as possible.
Since being burgled can be a seriously traumatising experience, look for support in your family, friends, and other victims.

ADDITIONAL SECURITY MEASURES

If you are a landlord and you rent out properties for student accommodation, there are a few things that you can do to make sure your tenants, aka. the students remain safe and protected from all kinds of threats.

As mentioned above, you can invest in reinforced doors and windows, good-quality anti-snap locks, keyless entry systems for better access control, and make sure that there are no weaknesses or vulnerabilities in your rented property such as cracked walls.

The three safest front door materials include wood, uPVC, and composite, all of which must adhere to the British Security Standards and carry the BSI Kitemark and PAS 24 accreditations.

When choosing the best door locks for your property, there are a few things you need to keep in mind such as the lock gradings and ratings.

Based on industry standards, locks are given gradings and ratings that determine the level of protection they offer. They are rated at Grades 1 to 3 with Grade 1 being the safest. Another marker of quality is the BSI Kitemark which shows that the locks meet the applicable and appropriate British standards for quality, safety, performance, and trust.

In addition to that, you can invest in CCTV monitoring for student’s accommodation to monitor your property 24/7 and to be alerted if anything suspicious or out of the ordinary happens.

A well-designed CCTV system is one of the best security measures proven to be effective against deterring crime and providing a healthy and safe environment for the students.

CCTV (Closed-Circuit Television) cameras provide a multitude of benefits and are trusted by millions of homeowners, landlords, and businesses around the world.

Criminals actively avoid targeting properties with CCTV monitoring since it plays against their biggest ally; stealth. No one would want to commit a felony and get caught on camera, and this holds for all kinds of criminals including burglars, intruders, and vandals.

CCTV cameras are not just great at deterring crime but also provide evidence in the form of recorded CCTV footage that can be used to help identify and catch the perpetrators.

CCTV cameras are extremely helpful in controlling unauthorised access and placing them on all the main entrances of the student housing will help keep an eye on who is entering and leaving the property.

While all property owners are allowed to use CCTV systems, provided they have a legitimate reason for doing so, there are a few surveillance laws that they must follow to protect the rights of those being monitored.

Security alarm systems such as burglar alarms are also a great security tool that uses various types of sensors such as motion, infrared, ultrasonic, microwave, magnetic, photoelectric, and glass-break sensors which are strategically positioned at key points within the student housing.

The sensors can be connected to the alarm system in the house so that you can be alerted every time an unusual activity is detected.

Depending on the type of system you choose, the alarm may be connected to an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) where the keyholders or police are notified if an intrusion is detected.

You may also be notified via phone, text, or email and, if you have a smart security alarm that is managed by an app, you may also receive real-time updates and notifications on your phone from absolutely anywhere in the world as long as you have a good internet connection.

CONTACT CALDER SECURITY

At Calder Security, we understand the special security that student accommodation/housing requires and are here to provide you with a comprehensive security solution that includes not just professional installation but also monitoring, maintenance, and repair services for the best security systems out there.

We are members of the Master Locksmith Association (MLA), approved members of the Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board (SSAIB), and also conform to all the relevant British and EU Standards.

We follow all the best practices in the industry and install only high-quality, state-of-the-art security equipment.

We offer various levels of monitoring via a 24-hour monitoring centre using Dualcom and BT Redcare signalling, which is the most secure alarm monitoring system and the largest supplier of intelligent alarm signalling services in the UK.

We understand the importance of having to regularly maintain security systems since the inability to do so might result in serious faults and consequent vulnerabilities in the security.

We provide professional maintenance checks and reminders for when the checks are due to help you stay compliant with the law and work fast to restore your security systems to excellent condition.

We offer a 24-hour call-out service for customers and can also repair systems not installed by us. Our engineers are highly skilled and can restore faulty systems to full working order in one visit.

Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

Security Advice Tips for Students Accommodation/Housing