Keep Your Home and Loved Ones Secure
We at Forest Hills are proud of our friendly and well-maintained community. But, no neighborhood is completely immune from individuals with criminal tendencies. Keep your family safe with these simple tips:
Lock Up
Pre-pandemic FBI statistics indicate the most common hours for home break-ins are between 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM, while families are away at work and school.* As we return to more normal schedules, it's safe to assume, criminals will, too. 34% of thieves walk right through the front door, and 23% jump through a first-floor window. And, most burglaries take about 10 minutes.** Remember, thieves are like anyone else—they want life to be easy. You can make their "job" just a little bit harder by simply locking up—even when you're home, and even during the day. If you want to catch a nice breeze, go ahead and use the partially open stopper on your first-floor windows.
Hiding a spare key outside your house can be very risky. Burglars know all the typical places you might choose. If you must store a spare key, consider purchasing an inexpensive lockbox or leaving your key with a trusted neighbor.
Have you lost your keys? Could anyone have a copy of your keys who you don't trust? Are any of your locks broken? Call the Forest Hills office at 734-971-9270, or put in an Emergency Mainenance call if after hours.
Store Valuables Out of Sight
Keep valuable computers, jewelry, and other items out of the line of sight from your window. It might not stop a burglar from wanting to enter your house, but having to search for your valuables will slow him/her down. Keep tools, bikes, and other items stored outside safely locked up.
Important documents, such as passports and birth certificates are also targets for criminals. Store those items out of plain sight, or in a safe.
Some in our community have set up security cameras, such as Ring . Visible cameras are a strong deterrent to would-be thieves, including doorstep-package thieves.
What to Do When You're Leaving Town
If you're planning any trips, make sure you let the Forest Hills office know! Doing so allows staff to:
- Contact you immediately if there is an emergency, such as a sewer backup, fire, or gas leak
- Easily set up temporary key permissions for local friends or trusted neighbors
- Notify you if there is any maintenance planned during your trip that would require you to move your car
Fill out the form below to let us know about your trip:
Or, download the Out of Town Notice form and return it to the office before you leave.
Additionally, before you leave, make sure you:
- Lock all of your windows and doors, including your second-floor windows and any basement windows and doors
- Check your faucets and burners to make sure nobody accidentally left them on
- Put in a USPS Hold Mail request
- Ask a neighbor to pick up any packages you're expecting from Amazon or other retailers
- Make sure any vehicles in the parking lot are locked up and emptied of valuables
With these common-sense measures, you can rest easy whether you're at home or in another state. Be safe, and enjoy your trip!