Security is often an issue of concern and a challenge that property managers deal with on a daily basis. For many reasons, apartment communities tend to be a target for theft and burglary, and, in some cases, the damages can be severe on the affected individuals.
Ensuring safety and security involves being vigilant to make sure that no areas are left unmonitored, from the parking lot to the walkway and storage rooms. To help you be proactive, here are six common security issues plaguing apartment communities that you can address.
As an apartment property manager, you most likely have seen residents become victim to vehicle or property theft. According to research by Consumer Advocate, 65 percent of residential theft occurs during the day when people are busy working.
Be sure to educate your residents about necessary precautionary measures to help these situations from occurring, as such incidents can set them back financially and also give them a reason to look for a safer community. Posting reminders about the bare minimum efforts like locking all windows and doors when they leave their apartment or car can be a starting point in protecting your property from theft. From there, do a walkthrough of your community to see what issues you can proactively take action on, such as adding more lighting, will help reduce the opportunities for theft to occur.
Break-ins also can happen to apartments or cars on property and can lead to serious safety concerns and significant financial losses.
Property managers can leverage technology to identify suspicious individuals who are likely to be on the lookout for a chance to cause damages. More importantly, take stock of your access control systems. To ensure residents' safety, do you have a gate, key fobs, or more in place? Is that technology outdated? Does it require maintenance? When’s the last time you had it tested?
By setting up systems ahead of time, you can limit access to only authorized guests and your residents and also keep track of who enters and leaves a building.
Vandalism on your property may include intentional breaking equipment, damage of entry points during forced access to property, graffiti, and more. This form of crime can cause extensive property damage, which may require a lot of money to repair. Even worse, it can make residents feel uneasy or even fearful that their own stuff could be next.
Dealing with vandalism begins with being able to spot potential vandals before they cause damage, whether that involves patrolling the building and surrounding areas or using cameras.
Every property manager can agree that trespassing is quite an ubiquitous issue in apartment communities. Regardless of their intentions, a suspicious person lurking around could make residents feel unsafe and vulnerable to crime. These individuals could turn to be criminals, which further puts the safety and property of residents at risk.
Enforcing security measures can go a long way in deterring trespassers. Would-be trespassers and loiterers are likely to leave the property if they know they are being monitored or see a patrol vehicle. Again, using technology and working with security professionals can help to eliminate the issue.
Tailgating happens when residents allow unknown (whether knowingly or inadvertently) individuals onto the property or into a building. It mostly happens when an unauthorized person follows a resident through the gate and into the property. These people could have malicious intentions, such as stealing, that could end up posing a lot of problems to you and your residents.
Enforcing entry procedures into a community is paramount in dealing with tailgating. By controlling who enters through the gate and into the community, you can keep out unauthorized individuals.
Property managers could encounter frivolous lawsuits from wrongful accusations, leading to property management company paying huge sums of money for compensation. For example, a person can get injured within the property and accuse the owner of neglect. Even without evidence, they can tie up your tie and resources.
Lawsuits can be avoided by using audio and video surveillance to help document everything in order to show what happens within the community. If anyone fakes an incident, say theft, there will be evidence to prove their involvement.
Did you know that one in five residents leave an apartment community due to security issues? Addressing these six common security issues and enforcing the necessary security measures can go a long way in preventing crimes and keep your rate of retention high.
Need help? Learn more about how mobile security from Signal can help bring peace of mind to you and your residents.