**This article was originally written on August 6, 2016, and was update on December 18, 2020.
Everyone wants to live in a safe neighborhood, and if you’re a Reno property owner, having a safe property affects your business. So what’s the first step to a safer neighborhood? The answer is getting to know your neighbors and encouraging your tenants to do so as a landlord.
Studies show that 72% of people feel confident that knowing those who live nearby helps reduce crime because neighbors with good relationships are more likely to watch out for suspicious activity at each other’s homes. Nearly half of people who know their neighbors say this added sense of safety keeps them from moving.
What can you do as a property owner? Encourage your tenants to get to know their immediate neighbors and to share their contact information with them. Encouraging them to get to know each others’ routines can help them watch out for each other. For example, if they know approximately when their neighbors go to work and come home, it can better assist them in identifying any suspicious activity around the property. And, if something is out of the ordinary, they can contact each other and check-in with them.
Who’s Behind the Fence?
While Reno and Sparks property managers should encourage tenants to befriend their neighbors and get involved in their communities to foster safer places for everyone, this task can be challenging. An extensive Pew Research Center survey found that most Americans say they know only some of their neighbors, but far fewer say they know most of them. It’s an even bigger gap when you break it down by age group. Americans ages 65 and older are more likely than those ages 18 to 29 to say they know most of their neighbors. In contrast, 23% of adults under 30 don’t know any of their neighbors.
Why is it important?
If homeowners and tenants would get to know their neighbors, this could help make a safer situation on the home front when residents are out of town. Your neighbor may be more willing to hold your mail for you until you are back and keep an eye on the property for suspicious activities. A neighbor may even be willing to care for pets, plants, and other household needs. You need to get to know each other.
So for good reasons, encourage your tenants to get to know their neighbors. When Reno property managers encourage tenants to know their neighbors, it protects your investment and keeps surrounding neighborhoods safer against crime while the tenant is away.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
