Did you know that burglary is on the rise? As landlords, there are a few simple things we can do to make it tougher for burglars. Let your tenants or property managers know about these four easy and inexpensive measures to take to keep your property safe.

1. Hedge trimmer. Cost: $20. Yes, keeping those hedges trimmed deters burglars because there’s no place for them to hide.

2. Deadbolt. Cost: $60–$100. Why make it easy to get through the front door. Pay a locksmith to install the deadbolt. There are easy instructions for doing it yourself, but since the cost is minimal, your time is worth more than the research it would take to do it yourself.

3. Motion-activated floodlights. Cost: $20. At this price, get several. Light is one of the biggest deterrents to crime.

4. Alarm company sign. Cost: Free for stickers. Make sure you get a real alarm company sign, not one that is printed. Burglars know the difference.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 8th, 2007 at 6:30 am and is filed under Investing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.