Condo patio -> communal area
 

So we have found a place that we really like to rent for the time being until we can save more for $ down. It is on the same floor as the communal garden area. I'm assuming that all residents with a fob has access to this floor. It is not required to have a fob to access the garden area once you are on this floor already.

Our unit's patio has a mini gate that opens up to this communal garden area. We are concerned about the security of this setup because it is a door with glass that opens up to the patio. I can only think of getting an alarm installed as a precaution (phone line + security monitoring $). I guess having a deadbolt wouldn't be much help if the glass is broken. Someone suggested having security bars but I'm not sure if that would be helpful/possible on a patio door.

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

This sounds like its a strata ran place. If you do go down the route for security bars, I would make sure its ok with your landlord and the strata before doing so. Otherwise, it can turn into a messy ordeal. This would depend on how anal your landlord/strata is.

I remember in my old rental unit, the strata wouldn't even allow you to have plants or your bike on the patio because it wouldn't look well with the rest of the building.

The condo that I sold was on ground floor with a large yard that people can access by a gate, and I believe 3 out of the 10 units facing the same direction as mine were broken into, even the one right next to mine.

I put up a dummy dome camera as well as an alarm sticker on my patio door. not sure if it really helped, but mine never got broken into