Protecting Your Home: Picking a Safe Neighbourhood
Moving into a new home – your dream home, the one you’ve been searching for – is an exciting time in anyone’s life. Choosing the right neighbourhood – safe, and one you feel most comfortable moving into – is another. In fact, when it comes time to finding a neighbourhood that’s best suited for you and your family to move into, it’s important to do your research before packing your boxes. We are lucky here in Ottawa to live in an overall very safe city but here are a few things to be mindful of:
Police Website and Crime Mapping Tool
The City of Ottawa Police Services have a great website which includes a crime mapping tool. You can look at a particular neighbourhood over a period of time to determine if any crimes have taken place. Keep in mind though that no neighbourhood is perfect so a few “hits” in your prospective neighbourhood may not be cause for alarm.
Use Social Media
Most neighbourhoods have Facebook groups that are designed for information sharing between neighbours. Join some of these groups to see what everyone is talking about as you are likely to get some amazing first-hand information from people living in the area. If Facebook is not your thing, Twitter can be a fantastic resource as well since many people Tweet about what they see on a daily basis. Search the neighbourhood name and see what you might find!
Meet Your New Neighbours
Don’t be afraid to talk to the people in the neighbourhood. Knocking on doors can be intimidating but there are other ways to do this. If you have kids, take them to the neighbourhood park and chat with the other parents or go for a walk and chat with some of the people you encounter.
“In case of an emergency, please call”
It’s always helpful, prior to moving into a new community, to be aware of what to do and where to go in case of an emergency. Does the neighbourhood of interest have police and fire services that are readily available and close by to your potential new home? Exactly how long would it take for the fire department to reach your new home if needed? Is the overall police presence noticeable? Or is it perhaps a little too noticeable? The latter may indicate a higher crime rate, in which case you might want to investigate a little further.
No Neighbourhood is Perfect
There is no such thing as a perfect neighbourhood but there are many steps that you can take to ensure your own safety.
- Avoid crimes of opportunity by locking up! This includes both cars and houses.
- If you see something suspicious, report it to police.
- Always be aware of your surroundings and stick to well lit routes when walking at night.
- Don’t post on social media that you will be away from your home for an extended period of time.
- Have someone pick up the mail and shovel the driveway if you are going to be away.
- Make sure the exterior of your home is well-lit.
- If you purchase expensive items such as electronics, cut up the boxes so as not to advertise it to anyone passing by.