Tracy was a young lady who had just moved away from home for the first time. She moved to a new apartment complex in the city. She was enjoying her new freedom. Finally she could have friends over without her parents permission. Her new apartment came with all the modern amenities. It even had a place for a washer and dryer, although she had not purchased them yet.

She was taught by her parents to budget and avoid too much debt at one time. She was sure she would be able to purchase a pair in the next month or so. In the mean time, she did her laundry in the community laundry room at her apartment complex. It was a pretty organized and clean area, and she was not aware of any problems.

One day she took off from work to do some house cleaning after a weekend party. She had clothes for a couple of weeks in the hamper. She decided to go the laundry room get the clothes started and come back and finish cleaning the apartment. The laundry room was right down the street so she figured it was fine to leave her apartment unlocked in the meantime.

She decided, since it would only be for a minute, she would leave her door open. She grabbed up the clothes and headed to the laundry. Unknowing to her, the apartment complex had hired a contractor to keep the yards that month. The crews were made up of mostly wanderers and temporary helpers. They were people with no real stability and ties to the community.

One of the male workers watched her as she went to the laundry room. When she left, he sneaked inside her unlocked apartment and waited. When she returned to the apartment, the man came out of hiding and point what looked like a gun, although it could not be seen. He demanded that if she did everything he asked she would not get hurt.

She was so frighten that she was about to comply. At that moment one of her male friends showed up and walked in the still unlocked door without knocking, which is normal for them. The intruder was so panicked that he ran of out the back patio door and away from the complex. She reported the incident to the police. They were able to determine his probable identity through the contractor, but he was never caught.

Doing laundry in a community laundry room can be dangerous. If you leave your house doors unlocked even for a minute it can have dire consequences. Criminals usually stake out apartment complexes because they know the young people there are trusting. Younger tenants do not worry as much about security.

If you move into an Apartment, purchase a washer and dryer in the first few weeks, or before you move in. Having them in your home can save you the grief of going to a laundry room alone. This is especially important for women. You will have one less problem to worry about. You will never have to leave your door open for a minute to check the laundry.

If you must use the community laundry, do so when it is crowded. We all like to get the machines we want, so we try to go when it is empty. This is a bad choice for you because it makes you more vulnerable. Never ever leave any part of you apartment unlocked for any amount of time. If you are just going to check the laundry lock the door. Be aware of your environment people are always watching. They are not always friendly types.