College is an environment where many young adults get their first taste of freedom, which can be thrilling and distracting. However, college students shouldn’t let those distractions prevent them from paying attention to the security that’s necessary to keep their valuable belongings safe. Here’s some important tips for dorm room security, as prepared by the security experts here at Top Locksmith.
Lock Boxes
Try to purchase a secure safe or lock box to keep inside your dorm room, otherwise we recommend utilizing special locking cabinets or lockers (though these might cost somewhat more.) The most important thing is to add as many layers of protection possible to protect your valuables.
Always lock doors and windows
Make sure to keep your dorm locked whenever you leave it, even just to go to the bathroom if it’s outside of your dorm. It’s essential that you also lock your dorm windows, as this provides an easy entrance way for many thieves as well.
Pay attention to fire risks
Make sure that you don’t leave hair dryers, hair straighteners, curling irons, or other devices that generate heat plugged when they aren’t in use. Leaving these devices unattended is incredibly risky and can cause a fire fast. Make sure to familiarize yourself with your dormitories fire escape plan.
Insurance
Consider taking out insurance, or asking your parents to place you onto their existing homeowner’s insurance policy. The premiums will vary based on how much coverage you need, but this is a great option because it can help you get the value back of any items that are stolen.
Keep a belongings inventory
It can be worthwhile to keep an inventory of your valuable belongings, as well as keeping a list of the serial numbers of all your electronics, as this can increase the odds of you recovering them if they are stolen. We recommend placing color stickers on your electronics – so this way if you see them in a random person’s belonging in the library, you can verify that they are truly your belongings.
Always put away your expensive items
Make sure to always put your valuables out of sight every time you leave your dorm. It’s essential that you don’t broadcast your expensive electronics to every single person that walks by your dorm.
Don’t publish your schedule on social media
It’s important not to let strangers know that you will be away from your dormitory for an extended amount of time. You’d be surprised how many people actually publish their class schedule as well – and while this may seem like a good idea to make new friends and synchronize schedules, it poses a major security risk for all the strangers that suddenly know when your valuables will be unattended. DON’T DO IT!