When you live in an apartment, having a balcony brings many benefits – it’s a great way to provide outdoor space and introduce natural light to your indoor space. However, balconies, particularly those on higher floors, come with certain safety concerns such as balcony security.

If you live in a high-rise apartment and you’re looking for ways to improve your balcony safety and make sure it’s safe for yourself and your family, the following aspects are to be considered.

Always lock your balcony door

The first step in having solid balcony safety is to make sure you always lock the balcony door when you’re not using the balcony. First and foremost, if you want to have solid balcony security then you need to make sure to always lock your balcony door when you’re not outside on the balcony. And, if you have children in the home, balconies are a particular safety risk, so install a key lock on the balcony so they can’t access the balcony on their own.

Install an alarm on your balcony door

Balconies make a perfect entry point for burglars and improving your balcony security will help you prevent that. By installing an alarm on your balcony door, you can prevent potential break-ins and get alerted if a potential one is in progress. Studies have shown that the mere presence of loud alarms can help deter potential burglaries since they indicate that the crime won’t go unnoticed.

There’s a large variety of alarms on the market today that could be ideal for your balcony security, and if possible, choose the one that connects to your smartphone or even to the authorities. Moreover, consider adding security cameras as well, at least one indoors and one on the balcony itself. Opt for a camera with a connected app so you get alerted if anything is happening and you can access footage if needed.

Put up an extended railing

An extended balcony railing is another safety measure that improves balcony safety by raising the railing higher. These are available in different forms, such as the aluminium balustrade, but they all have the same purpose – to make it harder, or impossible, both for children and adults to fall over the rail.

Opting for an aluminium balustrade means you'll have it measured, fabricated and installed with the greatest precision and attention to detail so it perfectly suits your needs. Just ensure there are no horizontal parts on railings that would enable children to climb on.

One more thing you could add on top of the railing to improve balcony safety is netting. These can be easily bought at most hardware stores, cut to fit and are easy to put up. Nets may not be aesthetically appealing, but they do allow fresh air to pass while keeping your children and pets safe.

Secure your furniture

Furniture theft occurs frequently from an easily accessible balcony and particularly if it’s higher-quality, such as grills or smaller furniture items. To make theft a lot more difficult, you could bring the furniture inside every evening, which is quite a hassle, or you can use a cable lock to secure all valuable items either to the railing or any other permanent structure on your balcony.  

Fire Hazards

The last but not the least safety aspect to consider is a fire hazard. Balconies are under threat of fire hazards that often result from thrown-away cigarette butts, open grills and outdoor heaters. A balcony fire can scald your balcony items, some of which may fall to the ground and light up other flammable objects, and even spread to your indoors. Therefore, you should consider fitting your balcony with proper fire security features so you needn’t worry and can enjoy your outdoor time.

Balcony security may not be something you’d enjoy thinking about, but it’s essential for any space, particularly for high-rise balconies. Hopefully, the tips listed here offer useful and practical ideas on how to improve your balcony security.   

Guest Contributor: Diana Smith