Moving into a new apartment is a busy time. But don’t let basic safety fall through the cracks—follow this basic safety checklist for your new home.

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When you first move into a new apartment, it’s worth taking a moment to familiarize yourself with a few safety features.

To start with, locate the electrical panel. If a breaker blows, you’ll need to know how to find it—possibly in the dark. Most apartments have electrical panels near the entrance to the unit. If the breaker switches aren’t labelled, you should take a moment to do that, too.

You also need to know where the water shutoff valves are. If something’s overflowing, you need to be able to stop it without delay. In apartments, you should find shutoff valves underneath each sink and toilet. As an added safety measure, it’s worth picking up a few cheap leak detection alarms. These devices start at just $20, and will sound an alarm if water starts leaking.

Next, think about fire safety. In addition to figuring out the fire escape routes from your new apartment, you should make sure you have a fire extinguisher as well. The kitchen has a greater fire risk than anywhere else in the home, so make sure there’s an extinguisher in there—just keep it near the entrance so you can access it if the stove’s on fire.

Similarly, make sure to test your smoke alarms monthly. Inform the landlord promptly if they aren’t working.

Then, make sure the door to your apartment has solid locks and a deadbolt. Actually, you should have your landlord install new locks when you move in. In some provinces, the landlord is required to do so upon request; otherwise, they may agree to do it in exchange for a fee. Either way, it’s worthwhile—you never know who may have an old set of keys for your door.

Another good apartment safety tip? Get to know your neighbours. Sometimes that’s uncomfortable or awkward, but it pays to be on good terms with other people on your floor.

And finally, make sure you find yourself a tenant insurance policy. If the worst should happen, at least you’ll have some protection.

00:00 Intro
00:23 Locate the electrical panel
01:04 Locate the water shutoff vales
02:02 Get a fire extinguisher (or two)
03:05 Know your escape routes
03:33 Check your smoke detectors
04:06 Check your locks and deadbolts
04:50 Get to know your neighbours
05:29 Get home insurance

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