If you know how to secure a rental property, you'll feel safer as a tenant. It isn't that difficult, or expensive.
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Deploy Security Cameras
“For renters, battery-powered cameras on adhesive mounts or clamps are the best choice,” advises security camera expert Mike Halbouni. “They provide real-time alerts and visibility without the need for permanent installation.” Cameras that plug in are almost as good, as long as the plugs aren’t accessible to intruders.
You can install cameras indoors or outdoors as needed (you can even put them on shelves), and you can connect them to your mobile device or laptop via a Wi-Fi or cellular signal. It’s important to mount them in places that offer a good view while being difficult to access (but not too difficult, because you have to change the batteries).
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Put a Motion-Sensor Alarm Outdoors
If you live in a house, townhouse, or any dwelling with a yard, you might feel the need to be alerted if anyone is poking around out there, particularly if you live in a dangerous neighborhood. A battery-powered motion-sensor light can do that, especially if it incorporates an audible alarm, like a siren. Burglars hate that, but so might your neighbors, so be sure to clear it with them before installing one.
Even if you have to omit the siren, an outdoor motion-sensor light is easy to install and remove. If you buy one with its own solar panel, you shouldn’t even have to change the batteries.
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Install Window and Door Alarms
When asked how to secure a rental property, Halbouni recommended peel-and-stick or magnetic door and window sensors, which offer instant alerts if an entry point is opened. “These products are inexpensive, very easy to install, and they remove cleanly when moving out,” he says. How inexpensive? You can purchase a set of four alarms that adhere to any door or window jamb for under $10.
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Monitor the Entry Door
You can monitor the entry door with a battery-powered security camera, but there’s an easier way: install a battery-powered video doorbell. It can replace the existing doorbell, using the same wiring for power, or it can run on batteries (battery-powered versions are slightly more expensive than wired ones). Either way, “they provide real-time alerts and visibility without the need for permanent installation,” says Halbouni.
- Pro tip: If you replace a wired doorbell with a wired video version, you might have to disconnect the existing chime, and that would probably require the landlord’s consent.
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Use Timers for Lights
“One of the easiest deterrents is the use of smart plug-in lights or outlet timers,” says Halbouni. “Automating lights to turn on and off makes it appear that someone is home, especially in the evenings or while traveling.”
You can purchase plug-in mechanical timers for less than $20 — some cost as little as $10 for two. Smart timers that connect to your home’s smart monitoring system are slightly more expensive and let you program the lights to come on at random times. That’s important because lights that come on at the same time every day tell potential burglars that no one is home. Random lighting, on the other hand, is “a major deterrent for criminals looking to break in,” according to Simpson.
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Convert the Deadbolt
Landlords generally don’t allow tenants to change the locks, but you don’t have to change a deadbolt to convert it. Simply remove the key mechanism and replace it with a smart lock while leaving the deadbolt in place. When you move out, you can replace the old key mechanism and take the smart lock with you.
Certified security expert Kevin Chen explains the benefits: “Smart locks can offer convenience, such as allowing renters to give out temporary codes to guests/visitors, remotely unlock/lock their door, receive notifications when their doors are unlocked (when a code is used or if they’ve left it unlocked for an amount of time), and see whether they locked their door from the app.”
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Change Your Passwords Often
Many security features (smart devices, cameras, and smart locks) connect to Wi-Fi. “If a malicious actor is able to gain access to your Wi-Fi network,” warns Simpson, “they may be able to disable these devices remotely, bypassing the other protections you put in your house.”
For this reason, she recommends changing the router password periodically. Moreover, you can and should enable alerts for new devices that connect to their network. Whenever a new device connects, all other connected devices (such as laptops and a renter’s mobile device) will receive a notification. “If you didn’t expect a new device to be connecting,” she says, “you could have a digital intruder.”
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Adopt a Dog
This one definitely requires consent from the property owner, but if it’s already in place, it could be one of the most effective security measures you can take. A barking dog will wake you up if anyone sneaks into your house when you’re sleeping, and even when you’re not at home, the prospect of a confrontation with an angry pet — especially a large one — is often enough to keep intruders away. Ask Louis Wood, owner of a private security and quoted in CNET: “I have heard multiple accounts from burglars who say that all things being equal, they will always opt for a house without a dog.”
Of course, dogs need to be fed, so this isn’t necessarily the cheapest security option, but the payoff is a rewarding relationship with your four-footed sentinel.
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Get to Know the Neighbors
I live on a rural mountain lane with no security and easy access, so residents have created contact lists and online groups that allow word to spread quickly when something seems amiss. It’s a virtual community as well as a physical one, and it helps everyone feel safer.
Not to minimize the importance of personal contact. Neighbors are more likely to care about you and your home if they know you, and they are more likely to alert you if they see a problem that you don’t, such as a potential intruder. It costs nothing to get to know your neighbors, and it’s time well spent.
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Talk with the Homeowner/Landlord
Your landlord may or may not be amenable to fortifying entryways, installing a hardwired alarm system or investing in other security improvements, but you won’t know until you ask. Two talking points may be persuasive:
- Many upscale buildings already have such improvements, because they protect the landlords’ assets as well as those of tenants.
- Investing in robust security helps reduce landlord liability in cases of break-ins, property damage, or injuries.
What security measures are my landlord legally obliged to meet?
Landlords have a legal responsibility to protect their tenants, says the legal website “Justia,” but that responsibility varies from place to place. In California (according to “The Tenants” law firm), a landlord must provide doors and windows that lock, and they must keep the space “habitable,” a word open to interpretation, but one that connotes safety. Other states and municipalities (even in California) may have more specific requirements, so if you’re in doubt, your best bet is to consult a local lawyer.
About the Experts
- Aimee Simpson is the Director of Product Marketing at Huntress, where she oversees its Managed ITDR and Managed SAT solutions.
- Mike Halbouni has over 25 years of experience in the security industry and more than a decade in telecommunications. He is the founder of PoyntGuard, a surveillance camera installation service.
- Kevin Chen is a Certified Protection Professional, a Certified Security Project Manager, and a New York State licensed security and fire alarm installer. He works for Connextivity, a security and IT engineering company.
Sources
- CNET: Experts Answer: Is a Dog Actually Good for Your Home Security? (2025)
- Justia: Protecting Tenant Safety as a Landlord & Legal Obligations; (2025)
- The Tenants Law Firm: What Should You Know About Security Systems as a Tenant? (2025)
