Leasing property can be a very profitable business. But you need to maintain your properties and keep them in good condition. Most of the time, this is simple since your tenants will be doing the bulk of the work. But there will be times when you have vacant properties. While they won’t be much of a problem since they are empty, they can potentially be victims of vandals, thieves, and squatters. To ensure that your property is safe, you should add some security measures to your properties. Here are some options that you can do.
Mark The Perimeter
The first line of defense for your property can be enough to stop many trespassers. Many of them are lazy and don’t want to make an effort. So installing a fence around your property should be enough. You will find that many squatters or vagrants don’t want to take the effort to climb over a fence. If you can’t install a fence because of property rules, there are concrete blocks you can purchase that can serve as fencing or protection. You can buy these if you want to have some temporary fencing. The heavy concrete blocks are portable, and you can take them from one property or another when you need them.
Install A Monitoring System
A good way to ensure that your property is safe is to have a good CCTV system installed. Seeing cameras on any property will be a great deterrent against any potential thieves. With modern systems, you can even be miles away, and you can still see everything happening on your property. With a professional installer, you will be able to see the various parts of your property and get an update with a click of a button. Besides that, CCTV recording systems will ensure that any thief who breaks into your property has a good chance of being caught. Most thieves will pick another target when they see the visible CCTVs on your property.
Getting Secure Locks
Keeping people out requires secure locks. If you want to ensure that no one breaks in, you should get strong locks. If a previous tenant just left the property, it is a good policy to replace all the locks on a property. While the former tenant may not be a thief, they would be less careful of keys that they don’t need anymore. Even if you take their copy of the keys, you still don’t know who may have a copy of them. It is only smart to give your property better locks in the long run.
Strengthen The Access Points
Besides the locks, you should also consider reinforcing the various access points to the property. This means the doors and windows will need some upgrading. Vagrants and trespassers will not let a lock stop them if they have the determination for it. They will likely kick in the door or break a window to get in. This is where you can change things. For one, if your doors are weak wooden ones, you can try to change them to stronger metal ones. Your windows can use a change, too. Installing steel bars across them can make it easier to prevent anyone from breaking into your property.
Hiring Security
You should consider having actual guards on your property. You might have guards already in place when there were tenants. If you did, it could be a good idea to extend their services even when the property is vacant. Having guards are the best way to deter people from trespassing since their presence can frighten away most potential vagrants and vandals. Serious thieves would wait for the guards to be off duty to break in, but this can be too much trouble for most of them.
If your property is a home, you can choose to have property guardians instead. These are people who live on your property mainly to act as deterrents against trespassers. They are much more affordable than actual guards since they are getting free lodgings while they are doing their job. They also keep the place in good condition while they are in residence.
Keeping your property safe while it is vacant will only benefit you as a landlord. Bringing a tenant to a well-tended property that they can move into immediately can increase the chances of them signing the lease. It also helps that the security additions can help in marketing your property. Many tenants appreciate a property has proper security around it. You will find that the investment of adding more security will pay for itself in the long run.