How to Protect Your Car in an Apartment Complex Lot

Car Theft is big business. In the United States, a car is stolen every 28.8 seconds. Last year, over one million vehicles were stolen across the nation. Auto theft risk is primarily determined by where you park your vehicle, with theft occurring most frequently in places where many cars are parked for extended period of times. High-risk places include colleges, shopping centers, movie theaters, sports events, and, unfortunately for apartment dwellers, large apartment complexes. Apartment complexes have large groups of cars that are usually left unattended for hours at a time, which makes an apartment complex parking lot a veritable supermarket for car thieves. In this post, we’ll present some prevention tips that will help minimize the risk of car theft in your apartment parking lot.

Minimize Your Vehicle’s Theft Risk

Stop criminals from stealing your car while it is parked in your apartment complex lot by doing the following:

1. Get an apartment in a gated community. If you are moving soon, try to find an apartment complex with a security gate. Car theft is less common if the thieves have to go to great lengths to get into the complex.
2. Pay for a garage, if one is available. Some apartment complexes offer enclosed garages for an additional fee each month. For renters who live in areas with high auto theft rates, the small extra cost might be worthwhile.
3. If you have the option, park in high-traffic, well-lit portions of the lot. Ideally, you want a parking place where cars and people frequently pass by and that is well-lit. Avoid parking in remote corners of the lot where your car is not visible from most apartments.
4. Etch your VIN on your vehicle’s parts. Having your vehicle identification number etched on your doors, windows, fenders, and other major parts of your car will make it nearly impossible for thieves to sell your car for its parts.
5. Put a locking device on the steering column or wheel. Of course, anti-theft devices that lock the steering wheel, such as The Club, are not impervious to the efforts of thieves, but they are a deterrent. Thieves might be able to circumvent a locking device, but it takes extra time and tools to do so, which may be enough to motivate the thief to pass over your vehicle.
6. Purchase an Onstar or LoJack system. Both of these devices allow your car to be tracked in the event it is stolen. LoJack is a stolen vehicle recovery system that uses a small radio frequency transmitter that can be hidden in any of 20 different places on your car. Once your car is reported stolen to the police, the transceiver is activated, emitting an inaudible signal. Many law enforcement vehicles and helicopters are equipped with computers with LoJack tracking capability, so the police can pick up LoJack signals in order to track and recover your car.