Q: Our apartment was recently burglarized. The landlord hasn’t done anything to make my roommates and me feel safer, and we fear out apartment will be burglarized again. We would like to move out, but still have six months left on our lease. Do you have any suggestions?

A: Your landlord is responsible for providing a functional apartment, which includes working doors and windows and any and all locks or safety devices as required by state and local codes. But your landlord is not the guarantor of your possessions, and you are responsible for acting reasonably and responsibly to protect your own property. The first goal should be to work with your landlord to minimize the chance that there will be any further criminal acts at your rental property.

You may want to also contact your local law enforcement and ask them for any tips or suggestions that they might have to deter crime. You will need to make sure that you are committed to any suggestions such as timers on lights or keeping doors and windows closed and locked. But also be sure to pass along any information to your landlord that he would need to implement, such as changes to existing exterior lighting or landscaping or access to the property.

It is always a good idea in multifamily residential properties to alert all tenants to the concerns and ask everyone to be alert.