Hardening Your Apartment

There is nothing new about the concept of apartment living- one building that contains many dwellings within. The concept of multi level apartments was really refined in Roman times, when multiple families lived within the same dwelling with their own allotment of space which was separate from the other tenants. Today, apartments are more popular than ever, being the number one choice for affordable living no matter where in the country they might be located. Apartments, and their close cousins condominiums, however, represent a major compromise in security over a freestanding home:

• You don’t get to pick your neighbors in a detached home as in an apartment building, but in an apartment, you share a common wall, ceiling, floor, or all three with potential undesirables.
• Few apartment complexes allow anything but minor modifications to the premises. Sometimes, even adding your own deadbolt will be disallowed.
• There are many people who potentially have the keys to your dwelling such as building managers, superintendents, and maintenance personnel.
• The denseness of apartment living means many families share the same footprint which dramatically taxes resources like water, power, and natural gas.
• There is no simple way to have, say, a gasoline powered portable generator in an apartment in the event of a power failure.
• Most every action you and your family members take is scrutinized by building staff as well as other residents.

In short, apartments and condos represent the worst possible scenario for the would-be prepper. The best advice we can give is quite simple: move. Even a rented detached home offers far more in the way of an advantage to the prepper.