MartinDomm
How to keep an empty property secure
Secure-vacant-property

The number of vacant properties in the UK has soared in recent years and security has become a major concern for owners and businesses across the country.

Covid-19 caused one of the biggest shifts in occupier demand that the UK has ever seen when it comes to commercial buildings with the rise in remote working seeing a dramatic upturn in the number of properties sitting empty.

In fact, real estate company Savills reported that the first half of 2020 saw investment volumes in commercial properties fall 43% below the average seen over the previous 5 years.  

For many, therefore, the need for security for empty property has never been higher and at Prime Secure, we have put together this guide on the best ways to protect a vacant property from criminals.

Threats to vacant properties

Before looking at the best way to keep a vacant property secure it is important to first understand the threats that they face.

Vacant commercial properties are common targets of:

  • Burglary
  • Arson
  • Property Damage
  • Trespassing
  • Squatting
  • Fly tipping

Those properties that are most at risk of being targeted by criminals include factories and warehouses as these are generally located in remote areas well away from prying eyes and contain a high volume of expensive machinery, materials, and tools.

They also often have shared yard areas with other nearby properties making it challenging to track illicit activity.

Vacant Property Security

If you are responsible for a vacant property having effective security in place is essential.

Here are the best ways to protect your property from criminal activity when there is no-one on site.

Insurance

If your property has become vacant recently your existing insurance policy may not cover it anymore, so it is important to check with your provider to make sure you are fully protected.

If a building is unoccupied for any more than 30 days most standard commercial property insurance policies will become void.

Due to a perceived higher risk of criminal activity when a property is empty you will need to arrange an unoccupied commercial property policy which can be slightly harder to organise than a standard policy and you may need to agree to install extra security measures such as monitored CCTV to secure a reasonable rate.

Monitored CCTV

Using the CCTV monitoring services of a professional security firm is one of the best ways to bring down the costs of your property insurance, as the risk of a criminal successfully getting in and out of your property without detection is much lower.

When you use the key holding services of a professional firm, experienced CCTV operators will remotely monitor your CCTV system and alert security guards, and the emergency services the moment that an incident occurs.

This will allow for a real-time response to emergency situations and increase the chances of being able to catch a criminal in the act should they decide to target your property.

Monitored Alarms

Similarly, to monitored CCTV, a monitored alarm system will use motion detection technology to set off an audible deterrent to intruders and will alert security staff at a nearby alarm monitoring station who will deploy a team of security staff to your site immediately.

Access Control

One of the best ways to prevent individuals from causing damage to your vacant property is to make gaining access extremely difficult.

If you know that the property will remain empty for some time, consider boarding up windows and doors and even blocking up letterboxes.

It may seem obvious but also make sure that all doors and windows are securely locked every time you leave the property as far too many burglaries comes as a result of carelessness.

Lighting

Effective lighting can significantly improve the effectiveness of various other security measures such as CCTV and alarms.

Being illuminated in bright light directly next to a CCTV camera is the worst nightmare of a burglar or vandal and if the see a bright light activated upon approach illuminating the sight of CCTV cameras installed on your property, the vast majority will leave the way they came without delay.

Remove Valuables

By taking some, or all of the above precautions you will be able to significantly reduce the risk of your vacant commercial property being targeted by criminals.

However, some criminals simply won’t care about detection, especially if they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and will target your property regardless.

To help limit the damage that is done if this does happen make sure to empty your property of equipment, tools, and materials before vacating the property.

By doing this you will reduce the chances of having to pay huge repair bills as a result of stolen goods or having to replace damaged fixtures.