How to Assure Personal Security When Living Alone

There is an increasing number of people in the world who are living alone either deliberately or by their own choice. Regardless of the reason why someone turns out to be living by him/herself, taking proper safety precautions should be their main priority.

Depending on the size of your budget, you can create an impregnable fortress or take certain security measures that won't drain your bank account. 

Measure # 1 Choose the safest neighborhood possible 

It is obvious that in order to start living independently, one would have to move out of his/her parent's house and embark on an apartment-seeking quest. The first thing that a bachelor or a bachelorette should do is consider the safety of the neighborhood in which they relocate. 

This rule may even apply to the entire regions. For instance, if you are living in the U.S., you can use services like Crime Reports to view an interactive map that shows crime stats as well as the addresses of the nearest police stations. Remember, when choosing the apartment, don't prioritize its price over its location. Nothing good will happen in bad neighborhoods. 

Measure # 2 Personal security apps 

Currently, there are plenty of useful mobile applications on the market, including the ones that will ensure your personal safety at home. For instance, OnWatch is a personal alarm service that provides the means for calling 911, sending instant alarm messages to a list of friends and many more.

BSafe is an app that allows you to pick a group of trusted people and enable them to track your movements inside the house via GPS-connection. You can also send the information about your exact location with a single tap of a button. 

Watch Over Me is another useful alarm service that allows iOS and Android users to send an online request to a family member of a friend asking to follow your movement via GPS, for example, while you are spending the evening alone in your apartment. The app sets the alarm that will be triggered if you don't confirm that you are safe. 

Measure # 3 Strong doors and barred windows 

Doors and windows are the only places through which a burglar can get inside your apartment unless his name is Santa Clause. Therefore, an overly secured heavy-duty door with a smart lock and barred windows should constitute your first line of defense. They might be quite costly consider it as an investment in your personal security with ROI being the safety of your life and valuable belongings. 

Measure # 4 Get acquainted with your neighbors 

There is probably no one more attentive to what's going on in your apartment or your house than the neighbors because curiosity is an integral part of human nature. Use that to your advantage and get friendly with people who live next to you. If you are a creature of habit, tell the neighbors about the routine that you keep when at home, so that they would know that something happened if they see a light in the window at the time when you are supposed to be in bed. 

Measure # 5 Install an indoor security camera 

While it might make you feel uncomfortable at first, having a security camera that records everything that's going on inside your home and then either stores it in an online cloud or streams directly to your device, is a great option, especially when you are away from home. You can supplement the camera with the motion sensors to increase the chances of spotting the intruder as early as possible.