I don't know if it's an option if you're a renter, but a dog is about the best protection I can think of. We have been robbed several times, but never when we had a healthy dog that barked when people came to the door. Most burglars won't even bother. I was once cased by a couple of young guys who said they were handing out free samples of dog food--but the box came from the grocery store, complete with price tag, and didn't look anything like the usual sample packages from companies. They were just deciding which houses to go after. My golden retreiver enjoyed the "free sample."