You don't need too much security, but you shouldn't have too little for the type of tenants, the building, its surroundings, and history of crime in the area.
A security consultant can perform a pretty good risk analysis with just a walk-through of a property. A building's history also helps to gauge how much protection is necessary. Some security assessment companies now offer computer analyses that quantify risk based on a property's demographic data, including crime statistics, and other variables.
Some factors that can put a building at risk include how near they are to high schools, criminal facilities, drug rehab centers, halfway houses, and mental institutions. Proximity to highways can even constitute a risk factor. A property's location near major roads may make it easy for criminals to escape by car, and a corner lot gives offenders dual escape routes. Green space and shrubs behind a building offer a way to flee on foot and offer concealment.
Here are a few simple ideas to strengthen a building's image and make it a tougher target:
Keys
Avoid buying off-the-shelf lock systems. If a bad guy gets a hold of a master key, they can get copies made, even if the key carries a "do not duplicate" label. It is relatively easy to con kids working in at hardware stores to ignore the no-duplication rule. As an result, many security companies have locksmith divisions that provide key systems unique to the company, along with strict procedures about cutting and handing out duplicate keys to building owners.
Locks
In almost half of all completed residential burglaries, thieves simply entered through unlocked doors or crawled through unlocked windows. Consequently, it is prudent to make sure every external door has a sturdy, well-installed dead bolt lock. Key-in-the-knob locks alone are not enough.
Sliding glass doors can offer easy access if they are not properly secured. You can secure them by installing commercially available locks or putting a broomstick or dowel in the inside track to jam the door. Some property managers secure a dowel to the door frame with a decorative chain so that it stays near the door to remind tenants to use it. To prevent the door being lifted off the track, drill a hole through the slide door frame and the fixed frame. Then insert a pin in the hole. Again the pin should be on a string or chain or it will disappear.
Lock first floor double-hung windows with key locks or "pin" your windows by drilling a small hole into a 45 degree angle between the inner and outer frames, then insert a nail that can be removed. Secure basement windows with grilles or grates.
It is always dangerous to hide keys around the outside of your home or rental unit. It is better to give an extra key to a neighbor you trust.
Always re-key or change the lock between tenants. many landlords keep an extra set of locks and rotate them when they have a vacancy.
back to top
Doors
A lock on a flimsy door is about as effective as locking your car door but leaving the window down.
All outside doors should be metal or solid wood.
If your doors don't fit tightly in their frames, install weather stripping around them.
Install a peephole or wide angle viewer in all entry doors so your tenant can see who is outside without opening the door. Door chains break easily and don't keep out determined intruders.
back to top
Glass
Glass windows and doors on the first floor of a building can actually help in deterring crime by increasing visibility, if you install laminated glass to make smashing in harder.
If laminated glass is too expensive, you can use a security film. The film makes it extremely difficult to break through windows and it can be installed for about $15 a square foot. A burglar often needs a sledgehammer to make a dent in the film-treated window. That can slow them way down and create enough noise to attract attention.
Of course, skilled bad guys can get into almost anything, if given enough time. You want to cost intruders as much time as possible to give someone a chance to detect and react to them."
back to top
Consider an Alarm
Alarms can be a good investment, especially in an isolated area or one with a history of break-ins.
Check with several companies before you buy so you can decide what level of security fits your needs. Do business with an established company and check references before signing a contract.
You will want a simple system that every tenant can learn how to use properly. People will stop paying attention after a couple of false alarms and you may even be fined by the municipality.
Some less expensive options:.a sound-detecting socket that plugs into a light fixture and makes the light flash when it detects certain noises, motion sensing outdoor lights that turn on when someone approaches, or lights with photo cells that turn on when it's dark and off when it's light.
back to top
Parking lots and garages
Assign parking spaces and number them. It is much easer to remember and report a break-in or suspicious activity at slot 23, than to otherwise have to describe a spot somewhere.
Boost light levels by installing more lights. Paint walls, posts and columns bright white, and use reflective sealants on the parking surface. Anything that will increase brightness will help make tenants feel safer and more able to detect criminals lurking in dark corners.
Study your facility and do anything within reason that will help increase visibility. If there's a fire door between the garage and building entrance, install a window so people can look into the garage before entering. Additionally, criminals who see a window may think twice about committing a crime for fear that someone may be on the other side observing them.
back to top
Landscaping and lighting
Studies by criminologists have determined that the most effective crime deterrents are lighting and having people around. Shopping center managers often encourage motor homes and campers to spend the night in their parking lots. Perpetrators can never be sure who is watching from behind a darkened window with a "911" cell-phone.
Lobbies and common areas should be well lit and visible from the street. Avoid shrubs and trees that make seeing into and out of a lobby or common area difficult. "Good lighting and unobstructed visibility is paramount. Criminals don't want to break into a place where they can be seen doing their dastardly deeds.
Tenants should always be security partners. Neighborhood Watch programs have proven to be very effective wherever they are implemented. The concept is simple: know your neighbors. When you see a stranger, ask questions.
The most difficult part of if implementing neighborhood watch programs is breaking town the reluctance that most of us have with getting too close to people we can't get away from later. It is amazing how friendly we are to strangers in a campground, or while traveling, compared to how protective of our privacy and aloof we act at home.
Property managers often need to establish formal guidelines that set out specific duties tenants should have to their neighbors; interaction that does not require too much familiarly where it may be unwanted.
back to top
Resources:
A&E Home Security Company, established in 1980 and online since 1996, sells the highest quality security equipment (Ademco, DSC, FBII, etc.) directly to home and business owners for self-installation. This includes many of the same hard-wired and wireless burglar alarm systems installed in residences and commercial establishments by nationally well-known companies like ADT, Brinks, and Rollins.
The Home Security Store site is designed to be useful and informative, for both the do-it-yourselfer homeowner to the professional. You can purchase all your Home security needs right here on line. All transactions are safe and secure.