Apartment Safety Tips for Halloween Night

The spookiest day of the year is almost here. Whether you choose to stay home at your Northern Colorado apartment to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters or go out with friends and family to get in on all the Halloween fun, it is important to keep safety mind.

Halloween can be both cute and creepy, but unfortunately, there are some out there that have decided to make the day a frightening and terrifying experience for others. Crime spiking on Halloween is not just a ghost story, it is a scary reality that has left many haunted long after the costumes and spider-webs have been put away.

To protect yourself and protect your little trick-or-treaters, here are a few simple tips for apartment safety this Halloween.

1. Make Sure to Lock Your Doors and Lock Your Windows

One of the most common types of crime on Halloween are home break-ins. Burglars and home intruders know that people are out of the house either trick-or-treating or at a local Halloween event, making an empty home an easy target. Be sure that you lock all windows and doors of the apartment before you head out for a night of spooky fun. It’s also a good idea to lock up even if you chose to stay home to hand out candy or watch scary movies. It’s far better to take that extra step to unlock the door when a cute kid in a costume rings the doorbell, then to find yourself with an unwanted intruder.

2. Check to See Who Is at The Door Before You Open It

Regardless of where you live, chances are there will be plenty of trick-or-treaters making their way through the apartments in your complex. Even if you live in a safe area of town, make sure that you stop to take a peek at who rang the doorbell before you open it. There are people out there who take advantage of the very nature of trick-or-treating to force their way into the homes of unsuspecting people.

3. Don’t Feel Pressured to Answer the Door

Keep in mind that you are under no obligation to open your door, even if you have a bowl full of candy ready to be handed out. If at some point you do not feel comfortable with who is at the door, don’t open it. Always err on the side of personal safety.

4. Keep the Candy Close to the Door

Be careful to leave the bowl or bucket of candy near the door so that you are able to easily grab it when trick-or-treaters knock. Keeping the candy close to the door will keep you from taking your eyes off who is at the door and what they are doing. Being vigilant of the activity at your front step is one of the most effective ways to keep yourself safe.

5. Leave the Candy Out for Self-Service

If you are struggling to trust in others as they go door to door, you might consider leaving the bowl of candy out on the front step instead. Leave a note asking trick-or-treaters to only take one or two pieces of candy and leave the bowl out until it’s all gone. This provides both you and others with an alternative for enjoying trick-or-treating when you live in an apartment.

6. Think Twice About Leaving That Spare Key Out

Leaving a spare key under the mat or inside a pot of flowers may seem like a good way to make sure you don’t get locked out, but on Halloween night it also provides cunning home intruders with a way in. Rather than counting on a spare key, count on a friend and stay on their couch. Or leave a spare key with a trustworthy neighbor instead.

7. Remove Valuables or Décor From the Porch or Balcony

Locking up your Northern Colorado apartment will make it difficult for burglars to steal anything inside, but it won’t stop them from taking anything outside. People will climb balconies and find ways to steal bicycles, grills, or anything left out there. And they could quickly grab that cute fall décor you have sitting out by the front door. Put those items inside for the night, especially if you won’t be home.

8. Make It Seem Like Someone Is Home, Even if No One Is

One of the most effective ways to deter people from breaking in is to stay home or at a minimum, make it look like you stayed home. If you head out to a costume party or a haunted house, leave a lamp or the T.V. on inside to make would-be intruders skip over your apartment.