Excellent points, but I would like to add a few more.

1) Most sliding windows can be lifted out of their frames and the casement locks that come with them are typically weak enough to pop with a flat prybar. Since it's a rental, I doubt permanent alterations are allowed. You can use foam tape to hold blocks in place for the same purpose. Back up the original locks with wood dowels.

http://www.command.com/wps/portal/3M/en_...Vbe7NZP56G6BDgl

2) Buy a decent confetti shredder and use it. No matter what apartment complex I lived in somebody would always go through the trash. I kept finding envelopes that I had thrown out lying on the ground next to the recycling bin. Your identity can be stolen and sold, and it can be VERY expensive for you. If it has your name and adress on it, it get's destroyed. Also consider moving documents off site into a safe deposite box.

3) The same goes for computer data. Encrypt anything else that can be used for identity theft.

4) No idea how to reinforce the door without permanent modifications. Material for convincing the apartment manager is below.

http://www.thenationallocksmith.com/public.asp?2

EDIT


Wanna bet!?! The last time my car was broken into, the theft of my personal papers cost me many times that of replacing the window and radio. Even after adding onto what the insurance covered.

In my experience, the biggest gap in the typical apartment's layered security is that the apartment management will have keys to your apartment, and thus access whenever it deems it necessary. Most apartment leases I've seen have a clause in them to this effect. So even if you change the locks, they have to have a key. Thus, a lot of the security measures can be simply bypassed. Your apartment can be entered, searched, valuable things noted and indexed.

Good replacement value insurance and off site storage for anything you can't afford to lose is, IMO, the best protection. In particular I do not feel comfortable leaving any firearms in an apartment unless they are in a substantial safe when you are not in the apartment. They just have too much "street" value.

Cameras will help document the theft, maybe even help catch the person. They do not mean you will actually recover anything taken. I'd prefer not to take the loss in the first place.

Yeah, me neither. Getting my own house is a priority!