Living in an apartment can be a unique and fun experience.   Although apartments tend to be smaller than homes, living in an apartment has its advantages, such as a pool, hot tub, workout room, and sometimes a front office laundry service.  But what about security?  Are apartments safe?  We’re going to talk about one aspect of safety and that’s apartment gates, including entrance, exit, and pool gates. 

          First off, they don’t call them security gates anymore, they call them electronic gate systems, or something like access control equipment, or just plain automatic gates.  Why?  You guessed it – liability.  No apartment complex wants to be sued if a crime happens and a resident blames the security gate not working or not keeping them safe all together.  So now that we got that straight, do residents feel safer in gated communities than in non-gated communities?  According to one study conducted by Texas A&M University the answer is yes, but the same study also found that this was a perceived perception.  That’s because they found more crime to happen in a gated community over a non-gated community.  I found the crime part hard to believe, but it is after all just one study.  However, I do believe the part about apartment gates giving a false sense of security, with the exception of pool gates.  

          When it comes to apartment pools (or any pool for that matter) it must be fenced and the gates must close and latch on their own.  If a child uses the pool, an adult must always be inside the gate in the pool area, watching over their child.

          But let’s go back to entrance and exit gates.  If you are moving into a gated apartment complex you might want to take it for a test drive so to speak.  If there’s a keypad entry system, try to go in without buzzing in or try driving through the gate behind another car and see how easy it is. If there’s a security guard, try and talk your way in after the office is closed.  Ask yourself; are the gates just for looks or do they actually work?  A lot of apartment complexes have big fancy front gates, but a kid could jump over the back gate.  You might think this is all sneaky but safety is what it’s all about, and money.  Keep in mind, that large apartment complexes often add gate systems as an amenity to attract new residents.  Gated communities are enticing to residents.  On the other hand, it’s also enticing to property managers who can charge a premium for rent.  But is the money worth it?

          There are steps that the government took to make automatic gates safer.  In 2001 the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission came out with some guidelines to help prevent children from becoming entrapped in the gates.  They now require the automatic gates to have at least two mechanisms to prevent entrapment, similar to standards for a garage door.  The standard requires a sensing device that will reverse the gate if it encounters an obstruction or when an obstruction is detected.