This rental is not a safe place to stay.
For good reason, MANY homes in this old neighborhood have bars on their windows.
Even the host, Donavan Lopez, admitted to us that the reason for the 24/7 cameras surveilling the front and back courtyards is because the walls around the property could easily be âhopped overâ (to use his words).
On the third night of our stay, a police helicopter spotlighted the neighborhood. We did not remain in the hot tub. The police were yelling over a loudspeaker from the helicopter to an apparent fugitive running from them on the ground. With Albuquerque being listed as of the most dangerous cities in the United States, and with helicopters circling above this rental, and having no weapons to defend ourselves, we did not feel safe for the remainder of our stay.
In this rental, there is a deadbolt on the front door, but the back entrance is a sliding glass door with a latch that is not easily engaged. There was no security bar to place in the track. As homeowners know, criminals wanting to make a forced entry can pry open a sliding glass door. Insert a screwdriver between the exterior door and the frame, and the door latch will release. The door can then be lifted from the track.
We should have chosen a rental in a more modern and safer neighborhood further north and east.