Embassy-Standard Apartment Security Checklist for Dhaka

If you work for an embassy, a UN agency, an international NGO or a multinational, your home in Dhaka will often need to meet your organisation's residential security standard. Even if nobody formally inspects it, the same checks protect your family. This apartment security checklist sets out what to look at, what to ask the landlord and how the approval process usually works. It reflects the questions Rent Property handles when placing diplomatic and international staff in Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara and beyond.

How does embassy approval of housing usually work?

Many missions and international organisations have a security office that reviews staff housing. For US government staff, this is typically the Regional Security Officer (RSO) at the embassy; other embassies, UN agencies and companies have their own security or administration teams, and UN staff generally follow guidance from the UN's security management system. Requirements differ between missions and change over time, so treat the steps below as a typical pattern, not a rule:

1. Get the current criteria. Ask your security or housing office for its written checklist, approved areas and budget before viewing.
2. Shortlist buildings that appear to comply. Your agent should pre-screen for guards, access control, fire exits and back-up power.
3. Request a survey. The security office inspects the building, or reviews photographs and a written description.
4. Agree any upgrades. Common requests include extra locks, window grilles, a safe room, lighting or a guard post. Get the landlord's agreement in writing, with a completion date.
5. Sign after written approval. If you must sign earlier, add a clause making the lease conditional on security approval.

Rent Property's corporate relocation service is set up to arrange viewings for security officers and to relay upgrade requests to landlords.

Apartment security checklist Dhaka: what to inspect

Guards and access control

• A guard room at the main gate, staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Ask how many guards work each shift and who employs them.
• A single controlled entrance for people and vehicles, with a solid gate.
• A visitor log, and an intercom so guests are announced before they come up.
• Perimeter walls of a reasonable height, with no easy access from neighbouring roofs or plots.
• Good lighting at the gate, parking area, stairwells and around the building at night.

CCTV

• Cameras covering the gate, the parking area, the lobby and the lifts.
• Recording that is kept for a reasonable period, and a clear answer on who can view the footage.
• Cameras that keep running during power cuts, on generator or battery back-up.

Doors, locks and the flat itself

• A solid main door with a good-quality lock, a viewer or camera, and ideally a security grille or second door.
• Locks changed, or keys accounted for, before you move in.
• Some organisations ask for an internal lockable room; check whether yours does.

Power, lifts and fire safety

Generator

Power cuts are routine in Dhaka, so back-up power is a safety issue as well as a comfort one. Many buildings in our listings have an automatic generator that switches on without anyone intervening. Ask what it carries: lifts, lights, pumps and security systems at a minimum, and ideally air-conditioning too. Check the fuel supply arrangement and when it was last serviced.

Lifts

• At least one lift, and ideally two in taller buildings, so a breakdown does not strand residents.
• A recent maintenance record, a working alarm or intercom inside the car and lighting that runs on back-up power.
• Automatic rescue or a clear plan for releasing people trapped during a power cut.

Fire safety

• At least two protected escape routes from each floor, or a dedicated fire exit stair in addition to the main stair.
• Exit doors that open and are never padlocked, and stairwells kept clear of storage.
• Fire extinguishers on every floor, in date, and ideally smoke detectors inside the flat.
• No gas cylinders or fuel stored in stairwells or the lobby.
• Ask whether the building has had a fire safety inspection and what the evacuation plan is.

Structural questions to ask the landlord

Dhaka lies in an earthquake-prone region, and building quality varies, so many security offices ask about construction. You are not expected to be an engineer, but these questions help:

• When was the building completed? Newer buildings are generally built to more recent codes.
• Were the building plans approved by RAJUK, Dhaka's development authority, and was the building built to those plans? Ask to see the approval where possible.
• Have any floors or rooftop structures been added since construction?
• Are there visible cracks in columns, beams or load-bearing walls, or signs of serious damp and seepage?
• Has a structural assessment been carried out? Some organisations require one.

Where the answers are unclear, ask your security office whether it needs a professional assessment before approval.

Window and balcony safety

• Grilles or secure locks on windows and balcony doors, especially on the lower floors and any floor accessible from a roof or neighbouring building.
• Grilles that can be opened from the inside with a key kept nearby, so they do not block escape in a fire.
• Balcony railings high enough and without gaps that a child could climb through.
• No climbable features, such as pipes or ledges, giving easy access to your balconies.

Parking and vehicle security

• Parking inside the compound, behind the gate, rather than on the street.
• Allocated bays written into the lease, and a driver's room so your driver is not waiting outside.
• Enough space to turn in and out quickly without blocking the gate.
• Good lighting and CCTV coverage in the parking area.

Neighbours and the surrounding street

• Who else lives in the building? Buildings with other international tenants often already meet organisational standards.
• Is there construction next door, or empty plots that could give access to your building?
• How does the street behave at night, and does it flood in heavy monsoon rain?
• How far is the nearest hospital, and how long does it take to reach your office or mission at peak time?

Our guide to the best areas to live in Dhaka for expats compares neighbourhoods, and the Baridhara Diplomatic Zone guide explains why many missions favour that area.

Printable apartment security checklist

Take this list on viewings and tick each item:

1. Guard room at the gate, staffed 24/7
2. Single controlled entrance with a solid gate
3. Visitor log and working intercom
4. Perimeter wall with no easy access from neighbours
5. Night lighting at gate, parking and stairwells
6. CCTV at gate, parking, lobby and lifts, with recording
7. CCTV and intercom on back-up power
8. Solid main door, good lock, viewer, security grille
9. Locks changed or keys accounted for
10. Automatic generator covering lifts, lights, pumps and ideally air-conditioning
11. Generator service and fuel arrangements confirmed
12. Lifts serviced, with alarm and emergency lighting
13. Two protected escape routes or a dedicated fire exit
14. Fire exits unlocked and clear
15. In-date extinguishers on every floor; smoke detector in the flat
16. No gas cylinders or fuel in common areas
17. Building age, RAJUK plan approval and any added floors checked
18. No serious cracks or seepage in structure
19. Window and balcony grilles or locks, openable from inside
20. Balcony railings safe for children
21. Parking inside the compound, bays in the lease, driver's room
22. Street, neighbours, flooding and hospital access checked
23. Security office criteria met, upgrades agreed in writing
24. Lease conditional on security approval if signed early

When you are ready, browse available properties; many of our listings note a guard room, CCTV, intercom, fire exit, fire extinguishers and an automatic generator.

Ask us on WhatsApp

Send us your organisation's housing and security criteria, your budget and your preferred areas, and Rent Property will shortlist buildings that appear to meet them and arrange viewings for your security officer. Message us on WhatsApp at +880 1784-222255; we usually reply within one working day.