How to secure your apartment door and windows
Secure an apartment door and windows without drilling by using a door wedge or a portable door lock when you are home, a bar or dowel in sliding door and window tracks, and simple window stops that limit how far a window opens. Ask your landlord to rekey the lock, fix any loose strike plate, and add a peephole or door viewer if there is none.
Why it matters: Renter-friendly hardware adds real security without drilling.
Steps
- Check that the door closes fully and the deadbolt slides all the way in.
- Ask the landlord in writing to rekey the lock and fix a loose strike plate or frame.
- Use a door wedge or a portable door lock from inside when you are home.
- Put a cut dowel or security bar in the track of every sliding door and window.
- Fit window stops that let windows open a few inches for air but no wider.
- Ask for a door viewer if there is none, or use a video doorbell that needs no drilling, with the landlord's permission.
- Keep blinds closed at night on ground floor windows.
Stop and call a professional if
- the door frame is damaged, the deadbolt does not engage fully, or a lock does not work: ask the landlord for a locksmith repair in writing
- a window on a fire escape route cannot open easily from inside
Common mistakes
- Relying on the doorknob lock alone.
- Leaving a sliding door with no bar in the track.
- Blocking a fire exit window with a permanent lock; window stops must be removable from inside.
Teach this to someone
A one page sheet for showing a friend, a teenager or a parent: what to say, what to show, and one question to check it landed.
Teach: How to secure your apartment door and windows
What to say
Secure an apartment door and windows without drilling by using a door wedge or a portable door lock when you are home, a bar or dowel in sliding door and window tracks, and simple window stops that limit how far a window opens. Ask your landlord to rekey the lock, fix any loose strike plate, and add a peephole or door viewer if there is none.
What to show
- Check that the door closes fully and the deadbolt slides all the way in.
- Ask the landlord in writing to rekey the lock and fix a loose strike plate or frame.
- Use a door wedge or a portable door lock from inside when you are home.
- Put a cut dowel or security bar in the track of every sliding door and window.
- Fit window stops that let windows open a few inches for air but no wider.
- Ask for a door viewer if there is none, or use a video doorbell that needs no drilling, with the landlord's permission.
- Keep blinds closed at night on ground floor windows.
Where it stops
Stop and call a professional if the door frame is damaged, the deadbolt does not engage fully, or a lock does not work: ask the landlord for a locksmith repair in writing.
Check question
Which is a renter-friendly way to secure a sliding door?
Answer: A dowel or bar in the track. A bar in the track stops the door sliding and needs no tools.
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Related skills
Sources
This skill is general practice and draws on no single published source.
Written in our own words from the sources above. It is general information, not advice for your situation; where a professional, your doctor or your lease says something different, follow them.
Last reviewed . First published .