It is important to secure your vacant properties, but what is the best way to do this? In this article, we will explain what is considered a vacant property, what is vacant property security, and count down 15 tips on how to secure your property.

1. What Is Vacant Property Security And Why Do I Need It?
2. What Is Considered Vacant Property?
3. How Do You Protect Vacant Properties?
4. Hire Vacant Property Security Services
5. Security Guards
6. Mobile Patrol Services
7. Secure All Access Points
8. Regular Visits
9. Regular Maintenance
10. CCTV Monitoring
11. Fire Safety
12. Insurance
13. Motion Sensors / Glass Smash Detection
14. Lighting
15. Window Protection
16. Door Protection
17. Access Control
18. Perimeter Detection Systems
19. Conclusion

What Is Vacant Property Security And Why Do I Need It?

A vacant or empty property is a building that has been left unused for some time. An example of this would be a retail premise that has been closed down and left empty. This is an all too familiar sight recently, with many businesses having to close down for long periods of time or for good due to the COVID lockdown restrictions. Many businesses have closed their shutters for the last time and left building empty and vulnerable. This is where vacant property security comes in. There are certain safety measures that can be put into place to reduce the chances of damage or theft occurring to your site.

What Is Considered Vacant Property?

A vacant property is defined as being “completely empty”. This refers to the building being devoid of people and belongings. Leaving a building in this state can make it very vulnerable to many issues such as vandalism and arson.

How Do You Protect Vacant Properties?

It is important to protect your empty buildings to ensure their safety. The best ways to protect and secure your vacant properties would be to follow vacant property security tips such as hiring vacant building security guards and installing a vacant property CCTV system. Below, we have listed the top 15 tips on how to secure your empty property.

Hire Vacant Property Security Services

Having a dedicated team of security specialists protecting your empty building is the best way to keep it safe. Your security suppliers can work with you to set up a plan for exactly how, when, and where you want or need security in order to best protect your site. Security service providers can use a range of services and methods to ensure your building is safe, some of which are listed below.

Security Guards

Having a security guard located on your site will ensure any issues are dealt with swiftly and promptly. Trained and SIA licensed security guards have experience in detecting and deterring criminal behaviour and can adapt to the needs of any business. Having a strong security presence is the best defense against criminals, and there is no better way of showing that than with security personnel on-site.

Mobile Patrol Services

Mobile patrols are very effective at deterring criminals. Patrols can happen at random, unpredictable times in order to stop criminals from anticipating when guards will be patrolling. This stops them from striking when the site is unwatched. Mobile patrols can happen frequently around the clock, to ensure you can be protected whenever you need it.

Secure All Access Points

Make sure all access points are well protected against criminals trying to gain entry. Block off any weak spots that could be used to get into your property and limit the chances of criminals striking your building.

Regular Visits

Regularly visiting your property can ensure the building can be checked on and assessed to see if any more safety precautions can be put in place to protect the site. Having people regularly visiting or interacting with the property can also help to deter criminals from striking, from the fear of being caught.

Regular Maintenance

Having regular maintenance and maintenance checks done on your property can ensure that the building is safe and secure and there are no issues with your site. It’s important to check regularly in case a small issue has occurred, such as dampness or damage that needs to be dealt with before it spreads.

CCTV Monitoring

Having CCTV in place is very effective at detecting criminals, but also deters them. If a criminal thinks they are going to get caught on camera, they will think twice about committing a crime. This reduces the risk of opportunistic crime a lot. Make sure CCTV warning signs are visible and prominent, as well as the cameras themselves.

If a crime were to be committed against your property and there was no one on-site, having your CCTV cameras monitored can be very beneficial. Having a security guard monitor your CCTV cameras at vulnerable times can mean they can respond to any issue they can see on camera and resolve them quickly.

Fire Safety

Empty buildings can be very vulnerable to fire damage. This can either be through accidental fires or through arson. Vandals and arsonists may attempt to burn down or severely damage parts of or the whole building.  Accidental fires can start for a range of reasons, such as electrical issues. Having the right fire detection measures in place is essential to protecting not only your property but also those surrounding it. Have good fire alarms and smoke detectors in place in many locations in your building to detect any issues. Smart fire technology can be used to notify the emergency services of any fire detected straight away, and having a fire suppression system in place, such as sprinklers, will help to control and resolve any fire that may occur.

Insurance

Having vacant property insurance in place in case something does do wrong can really help to resolve the issue quickly. It also gives businesses peace of mind that they have some protection in case anything were to happen to their vacant property.

Motion Sensors/ Glass Smash Detection

Having motion sensors and glass smash detection in place can not only bring attention to any criminal behaviour that is happening in your property, but it is also very effective at stopping criminals in their tracks. If an alarm starts to sound unexpectedly when trying to break into a building, they are likely to get spooked and run from the scene, limiting the damage to your building.

Lighting

Keeping your site well lit and visible is a good way to keep it safe and keep criminals at bay. They are far less likely to strike a well-lit building that can be seen, than a hidden property that is in the shadows and can’t be seen by anyone.

Window Protection

Protecting the most vulnerable parts of your property is important. Windows are very easy to use to gain access to a building, through smashing the window and getting in. But they are also big targets for vandals looking to have some fun and smash some windows. Therefore, having window protection security in place is very effective. Having security bars in place can stop criminals from getting inside your property but can unfortunately still leave windows vulnerable to being smashed by vandals. Having Steel window security or security shutters in place is the best way to protect your windows from being smashed or used as an entrance point.

Door Protection

Having reinforced, strong doors is so important in keeping an empty, vulnerable building safe. Having a strongly locked and strengthened door will stop opportunistic criminals from gaining access through your doors and stop them from walking straight into your property. Having a sturdy door that has steel door security or shutters also shows criminals that the building is protected and safe. This will deter them greatly from trying to gain access, as it is likely that they will fail.

Access Control

Controlling who has access to your site is imperative. If you can stop criminals from being able to step foot on your site, then the risk is highly reduced. Having good access control also strongly deters criminals from attempting to gain access. Having high, strong fences surrounding the perimeter of your site is a good way to show that is difficult to gain access and dissuade them from trying.

If your site is larger and has access control in the form of gatehouse security, this is a very good way of making sure people cannot get onto your site. This also allows you to track who has access to your site, for example for maintenance purposes.

Perimeter Detection Systems

Having some kind of perimeter detection system in place is a great way to know if anyone is trying to get access to your site. This is particularly important for larger sites and properties, for example, warehouses, factories, or industrial sites. Knowing if anyone has entered your site can let you swiftly resolve the situation.

To keep up to date with all the latest vacant property news, check out our news page – where you can find articles about why vacant properties need to be secure and what are the differences between unoccupied and vacant property security.