In general, it is difficult to get a home security system installed in an apartment. There are many reasons for this, but the number one reason is that you don't own the unit so you cannot make any permanent alterations to the property without the permission of your landlord. Permission can be difficult to get, especially if you can't convince him that what you are doing will benefit him as well as you. You might be able to convince your landlord to let you install a wireless home security system in your apartment, but even then, there are significant issues that need to be addressed.

First, most home security systems are equipped with a loud siren that is designed to scare away a would-be burglar and to get the attention of neighbors. However, these kinds of loud noises are typically taboo in apartment complexes. Not only are they annoying to neighbors who are significantly closer to your unit than they would be if you lived in a house, but there have been so many false alarms from other systems in the past that many people simply ignore them. If no one comes to investigate the siren, then the alarm is not doing what it is intended to do.

Second, you are usually unable to change any aspect of the exterior of your apartment, which means the other components that are intended to work in conjunction with a home security system cannot be installed, which renders the system less effective. This includes security lighting, surveillance cameras and parking lot alarms. This last component is virtually impossible to install because you can't have an alarm going off each time a car enters the complex's parking lot. If you want your security system to work as it should, you have to have some of these other features in place, particularly the security lighting.

All of this means that you have basically two options for home security in an apartment. You can install a wireless system that sends a silent alarm to your monitoring company, which is usually a more expensive option, or you can simply place decals and signs around your unit indicating that you have a system installed even if you don't. Studies have shown that burglars do not want to tempt fate by breaking into a unit that might have an alarm system installed. They would rather move on to one they are absolutely sure does not since their odds of getting in and out are much better.