HOUSTON – Regardless of where you live, thieves breaking into your place is a nightmare.
“I woke up and I saw this man standing in the doorway of my room and I realized I was being held at gunpoint," said Andrew Doggett, who had his downtown apartment broken into.
Doggett said not only did the thief steal a gun from his apartment, he then held him up with the same gun.
Regardless of where you live, thieves breaking into your place is a nightmare.
“I woke up and I saw this man standing in the doorway of my room and I realized I was being held at gunpoint," said Andrew Doggett, whose downtown apartment was broken into.
Doggett said not only did the thief steal a gun from his apartment, he then held him up with the same gun.
For Qusai Kalolwala, more than the burglary itself, it was the trauma of having his home broken into and his family’s belongings being taken that got to him.
“More than the stuff they took, it’s the sense that someone else was in your house going through your belongings and going through your safe zone," Qusai said.
So what are thieves looking for when they enter your apartment?
According to Jim Napolitano, former U.S. Secret Service agent to four presidents and chief of the Montgomery Police Department, it’s the small things that thieves can carry out easily they are going to target.
“They want to grab small things that are worth a lot of money," Napolitano said. “They are going to grab a pillow case and start grabbing your guns, jewelry, electronics, laptops and tablets."
[READ: 12 ways to improve security at your apartment]
What happens when your apartment complex is broken into and your neighbors are victimized? Does your landlord have to tell you?
According to board-certified real estate attorney Richard Melamed, no.
“Legally, just because an incident occurs at the complex, there is no duty under the law for the landlord to disclose that to you,” Melamed said.
However, if you ask your apartment complex or your landlord, they are required to tell you the truth.
To protect yourself and your family, Melamed recommended asking five key questions of your landlord once a month: