Protect Your Property in Jerusalem

Over the past few years, the rate of residential robberies in Jerusalem has been on the rise. This may cause alarm for apartment owners who live abroad. You’ve invested much money, energy and emotions into your Jerusalem home, and you have a lot at stake. Even if you don’t store valuable possessions in your Jerusalem apartment rental , burglary is a violation of your personal space. The thought alone of strangers rifling through your drawers and cabinets is offensive. Why feel vulnerable?

Take action with the following protective measures – some of which are quite simple –  and you can help protect your property from intruders.

• Keys do not belong under your flower planter, on top of the door ledge or at the bottom of your electric box! Although you may be proud of your ingenuity, no potential burglar will be fooled by your creative hiding spots.

• What do burglars find most attractive to steal? Small, valuable and easily transportable items, such as jewelry, electronics and cash, are most alluring. Don’t leave these things on open display, or within direct sight through the windows.

• Don’t announce your comings and goings. Remember, burglars are only interested in your valuables and have zero interest in meeting you. They target vacant homes, and they will wait patiently until they’re confident that nobody is home. When you’re away, simulate a regular living schedule by setting timers (ideally with more than one on-off cycle) on interior lights, radios and televisions. Turn the volume of your phones’ ringers down, so nobody outside can hear them ringing unanswered for weeks on end. Make sure your mailbox and flyers on doormat are cleared regularly by either a neighbor or your real estate manager.

• Almost all break-and-enter criminals come in directly through the door. While Pladelet residential security doors with Rav Bariach locks are now relatively standard in Jerusalem apartments, it pays to stress that these steel doors, with their unique multi-bolt locking system, are an absolute necessity.

• Sliding glass doors are very inviting to intruders. Most sliding doors have only latches and not real locks, and can be rolled opened easily. A simple way to prevent this is to insert a secondary blocking device, such as a wooden pole or dowel, into the runners – thereby making it very difficult to glide the door on the tracks. This is an effective way to block sliding windows as well.

• Thwart entry through windows and glass doors by adding another layer of security with steel bars (srugim). Steel bars should be installed on all windows, not just ground floor. Even upper floor windows may be accessed easily by climbing from tree branches or balconies. While srugim are not 100% foolproof – they are still a good deterrent for most burglars, who don’t come equipped with a power saw or full tool supply.

• Light up the night with good exterior lighting. Motion-sensor lights that illuminate the entryways to your property are a good investment. If your property is surrounded by trees and shrubs, keep the greenery pruned in order to minimize dark, shadowy spots. These are great places for a criminal to hide and stake out the property.

• How many times have you walked down the street and heard an alarm ringing in the background? Did you stop to identify the cause? … Probably not. Most of us are already immune to the sound of house alarms. Alarms are really only as good as the response desk (moked) of the private security service that they alert. Hire a reputable security company with a vigilant response team to analyze your property, install their alarm system and keep watch. Consider mounting security cameras (even fake ones!) too, as all intruders are picture-shy.

Don’t panic about break-ins. Just because your Jerusalem home isn’t occupied full-time shouldn’t cause you extra fear that you’ll be a victim and remember that you always have our Jerusalem property management team to check the property. Follow these safety guidelines, and feel comfort in the knowledge that you’ve fortified your home. While it’s true that serious burglars may be persistent, it’s also true that the more effort it takes them to get in – the greater the chances are they’ll simply give up before trying.