By Ifunanya Aniebonam
When a unit is broken into, the repair invoice is the cost everyone sees. It's rarely the whole bill. A break-in can also mean a unit that can't be leased while it's fixed, a resident who doesn't renew, and a review that new prospects read before they ever tour.
This post breaks down where those costs come from, what the federal data says about how often renters are affected, and a simple worksheet to put your own numbers on it. We don't quote national turnover or vacancy cost figures here, because we couldn't find a primary source we trust. Your own numbers are better anyway.
How often are renters burglarized?
More often than owners. In the Bureau of Justice Statistics' Household Burglary, 1994–2011 report, the 2011 completed burglary rate was 32.7 per 1,000 renting households, compared with 18.3 per 1,000 owner households (BJS, 2013). By our arithmetic, that's roughly 1 in 31 renting households in a single year.
The same report found that buildings with restricted access, such as apartment or condo buildings with a doorman or reception desk, had a lower burglary rate (22.3 per 1,000 households) than those without (24.7 per 1,000), over 2004–2011 (BJS, 2013). Access control matters, and so does the door at the end of the hallway.
And you may not hear about every incident. BJS found only 58% of completed household burglaries were reported to police in 2011 (BJS, 2013).
For the full picture, see our rental property burglary statistics.
Cost 1: The resident's loss
The FBI put the average dollar loss per burglary at $2,661 in 2019, with about $3.0 billion in total property losses nationwide (FBI UCR, 2019). That's the victim's stolen or damaged property, not the community's repair bill, but it's the number your resident lives with, and it shapes how they feel about renewing.
Cost 2: The door and frame
In the FBI's 2019 data, 55.7% of burglaries involved forcible entry and another 6.5% were attempted forcible entry (FBI UCR, 2019). On an apartment entry door, forced entry often means a jamb split around the lock. That's an emergency work order: a tech on site, a temporary fix so the unit can lock, then a permanent repair or a new door and frame. Our guide for maintenance teams covers that process step by step.
Cost 3: Downtime and vacancy
If the unit is between residents, or the resident moves out after the incident, each day it can't be shown or leased is lost rent. Repairs that wait for a carpenter or a door order stretch that out.
Cost 4: Turnover
A resident who doesn't feel safe is a resident who may not renew. Turnover brings make-ready, marketing, leasing time and the vacancy in between. We're not going to put a national number on it; you already know what a turn costs at your property.
Cost 5: Reputation
Break-ins come up in online reviews and in conversations between neighbors. Prospects read those reviews before they book a tour. That cost is hard to measure, which is why it's easy to leave out of a capital request.
Put your own numbers on it: a worksheet
Fill this in with your property's actual figures. The formula is ours, not an industry benchmark.
| Line | Your number |
|---|---|
| A. Emergency repair: labor + parts + after-hours premium | $ |
| B. Permanent repair or door/frame replacement | $ |
| C. Days the unit can't be leased × daily rent | $ |
| D. Probability the resident doesn't renew because of the incident (your estimate) × your cost of a turn | $ |
| E. Staff time: police, documentation, resident communication, insurance | $ |
| Cost of one break-in = A + B + C + D + E | $ |
Then compare it with the cost of reinforcing the doors most at risk.
Illustration only (our arithmetic, national rate): at the BJS 2011 rate of 32.7 completed burglaries per 1,000 renting households, a 200-unit community would see about 6.5 burglaries in a year if it matched the national average. Your actual rate may be much higher or lower; use your own incident logs.
Lowering the cost: start with the door
The cheapest break-in is the one that doesn't happen, and the next cheapest is the one that doesn't destroy the frame. Door Armor reinforces apartment entry doors where kick-ins do their damage: the jamb, the door around the lock and, optionally, the hinges. It installs over the existing door and frame with a drill, with no door replacement, so your maintenance team can do it during turns or routine work orders. Door Armor is Made in the USA, and Armor Concepts has more than 20 years in business and more than 500,000 doors secured.
No product stops every break-in, but reinforcing the doors most at risk can help prevent kick-ins and the repair, vacancy and turnover that follow. Single-door kits carry a kick-in guarantee of up to $500 ($500 on MAX kits, $300 on MINI and MINI PLUS kits). It covers kick-ins, not battering rams or prying.
See our multifamily program for kits and special pricing for multifamily customers, and our door-first playbook for rolling reinforcement out across a portfolio.
Request a security assessment
Not sure which doors to start with? Request a security assessment: tell us about your community and we'll help you identify the highest-risk entries.
Questions: [email protected] · Office hours 8:30 AM–4:30 PM CST
Frequently asked questions
How much does a break-in cost an apartment community? It depends on your property. Add up emergency and permanent repair, days the unit can't be leased, the chance the resident doesn't renew times your turn cost, and staff time. The worksheet above walks through it.
Are renters burglarized more than homeowners? Yes. BJS reported 32.7 completed burglaries per 1,000 renting households in 2011, compared with 18.3 per 1,000 owner households.
What is the average loss from a burglary? The FBI put the average dollar loss per burglary at $2,661 in 2019. That's the victim's property loss, not the landlord's repair cost.
Can maintenance staff install Door Armor? Yes. It installs over the existing door and frame with a drill, with no door replacement.
How do I request a security assessment? Use our assessment page to tell us about your community and we'll help you identify the highest-risk entries, or email [email protected]. Office hours are 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM CST. Questions about returns go to [email protected].