Using a throw-away account for privacy. Serious responses only please.

Without going into too much detail, there was an issue today and I would like to better protect myself and my valuables in a room that I am renting this year. Search engines didn't yield much information on this topic at all, and this is the first forum that popped into my mind.

The police spoke with the individual who threatened me (I don't know what they talked about), advised me to keep my door locked at all times, and to avoid him. They told me that if it happened again, I should call the police again. I said that's a reactive solution after I am hurt or killed, and they said nothing else can be done since there was no crime committed yet. I didn't say this to them because they already knew, but FYI their response time was 2 hours.

People say offense is the best defense, thought direct assault is not my style at all. I would like to get leverage against this individual, but I can't think of how. I also need security for my valuables; I've considered Kensington locks and I want to secure the window as well, but I don't know how I can get the landlord to fix it. All in all, I've pretty much come up blank, so I would really appreciate good advice.

Talk to landlord. Keep ur valuables with someone else. Keep doorslocked. That's all you can really do. The best thing is to tell your landlord u dont feel safe and he has a responsibility to ensure that there is safety in the house he rents. Also start lookin for new house next year

Wow, if I were you I wouldn't even wait until next year. If your personal safety is at risk I'd just move now if I were you :| Everyone deserves to come home without worrying about being assaulted or robbed in their own house. Then again, I don't know how much of a hassle it is to find someone new to take over your lease (but your landlord should be sympathetic to your case given the police involvement??) but I think there are still some places looking to rent for next term.

Best of luck.

That must be a very tough situation to be in.
I don't know what you've done to that person to get your life threatened but if you are really concerned you should definitely move to a different place.
Your life and time are definitely worth more than some rent deposit.

Talk to the landlord and move immediately.

Would this, by any chance, be on Sterling

And by the way, I wouldn't recommend possessing any sort of weapons for "self-defense" purposes.
While you can possess a pepper spray for protection against animal attacks, you can't possess it for protection against potential human attacks, which I find quite stupid.

Originally Posted by Afzal

Would this, by any chance, be on Sterling

Nope, not on Sterling.

I have to agree that I should move for second semester. Moving is not negotiable, but getting my rent deposit back is. What I can do in this situation, besides playing on the landlord's sympathy (which I'm not good at) to get the rent and key deposit back?

Originally Posted by gromacs

Nope, not on Sterling.

I have to agree that I should move for second semester. Moving is not negotiable, but getting my rent deposit back is. What I can do in this situation, besides playing on the landlord's sympathy (which I'm not good at) to get the rent and key deposit back?

http://www.ltb.gov.on.ca/en/Key_Info...02_111479.html

The site says the deposit can only be used as rent for the last month. If you've already paid December's rent and don't plan on staying in January, you might be able to get it back. Go talk to Jenn in the basement of the student center (Off campus housing). She can advise you better, she also has a number for some housing law firm that provides free consultancy to McMaster students. I would give you the number but I don't have it at the moment.

Does this person have a name?

If you seriously fear for yourself, why does a couple thousand matter?

Originally Posted by onedayy

That must be a very tough situation to be in.
I don't know what you've done to that person to get your life threatened but if you are really concerned you should definitely move to a different place.
Your life and time are definitely worth more than some rent deposit.

I don't want to start a flame war, but you should word things differently than "I don't know what you've done to that person." Who says they did anything? It also comes off as victim blaming.

For material items, get renter's insurance. For personal safety, find a safer place to live as soon as you can.

How did this person threaten you.

Ultimately there is no way to protect your valuables 100%, things can always be stolen. Best thing to do is liquidate your assets as much as possible, scan all your physical copies of items, into a computer, i.e. books, notes, and encrypt that data and store on an offsite location. Moving your physical possessions in a safe is most likely the best defense as a good safe will take a great deal of force or effort that would render the endeavor illogical. To protect yourself, remove yourself from the situation, offense is not the best defense, not being there is.. aka, move to a different location if possible. If not, install a security camera and upload the feed to a laptop, to detect movement. It isn't expensive, and the software will alert you of any movement, whether you're away from your residence or not, just use a smartphone to monitor your situation away from home. You have the tools to defend yourself so use them! Keep 911 on speed dial with 1 press away if anything extreme occurs. Make a Contingency plan.