Property managers have a highly demanding job as they focus on ensuring residents have a great experience, which helps with retention. They get busy dealing with everyday operations that they may overlook and neglect one critical element. That’s security.
Security for your apartment building must be a high priority. The fact is apartments and condos have an 85 percent greater chance of being burglarized than single-family homes according to the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) as quoted in a HuffPost article.
The location of your apartment property does not matter. Crime happens wherever there is an opportunity. Unfortunately, apartment properties are often a target for criminals because they offer many openings that will help them get away with the crime.
What Property Managers Need to Do
Every apartment property is different. One thing most have in common is that they’re like public places. It’s almost impossible for employees and residents to know everyone. Thus, when a suspicious person approaches the building, no one will think anything of it. Thieves take advantage of this fact.
Security matters greatly because residents count on the apartment property to keep them safe. Every single generation of renters considers security a top priority in finding a place to live. An Assurant survey has found that more than half of apartment residents say they will pay more for security features.
Besides, with remote working climbing, more people work from their apartments. More and more companies have announced they will switch to either a hybrid work environment or go completely remote even after the crisis ends.
More than a third of employees believe their company will allow remote working according to a OnePoll and Citrix survey. Moreover, almost one-third of the survey’s respondents report they want to find work with organizations that allow remote working. If companies don’t take steps to make this possible, they could risk losing their talent.
Remote working was already experiencing an upward trend before the crisis. The State of the American Workplace
references a Gallup survey that has discovered more than 40 percent of respondents work remotely some of the time, up from 34 percent in 2012.
In a Boston Consulting Group survey, 75 percent of employees believe they have maintained or improved their productivity in completing their own tasks. More than half say they maintained or increased productivity on collaborative tasks. Another BCG survey has found that companies anticipate 40 percent of their employees will adopt remote working.
With all this said, remote working is going to be the norm. This means residents can live wherever they want. It’s no longer about living close to the business. Hence, property managers need to do everything possible to keep their residents. Your multifamily residential building will stand out from the competition when you include remote video surveillance.
The evidence is clear that property managers need to make security a high priority. How can they do this when they’re swamped with managing the day-to-day operations? The answer is in remote video surveillance.
How Remote Video Surveillance Helps Secure Apartment Properties
Implementing video surveillance with remote monitoring involves placing cameras in strategic places around the apartment property and perimeter including the parking areas. Your entire property will have eyes on it and all recordings will be saved for later playback and review.
Most security systems and technologies are reactive. They can’t catch crime before or while it happens. Remote video surveillance is a proactive security technology that can deter crime and help prevent damage. The most effective video surveillance combines analytics with human monitoring operators who can help catch suspicious activity before it becomes a problem.
The partnership between analytics and operators enhances security technology. Monitoring operators can miss something without help from analytics. Analytics needs the trained operator to act on any suspicious activity. These trained operators are located on a remote site away from your property.
How the security operator handles a situation depends on the scenario. If there’s a trespasser, the operator can issue a warning on an audio speaker. If the intruder does not turn around and leave, then the operator can call the police and direct them to the person’s location.
While law enforcement makes its way to your property, the operator can track the suspect’s movements and keep the police updated. Often, the police arrive and arrest the intruder before escaping.
Watch these videos from apartment properties to see what remote video surveillance can do to help protect your residents and employees:
- Someone piggybacks into an apartment building
- Couple in an apartment parking lot
- Multiple apartment common area thefts
- What happens when a verbal altercation turns physical
- How video surveillance handles vandalism and other scenarios
Video surveillance has prevented a family from dealing with a tragedy. A young boy had climbed the fence that kept people out of the swimming pool. The monitoring operator issued an audio warning. Immediately, the child climbed back down and ran off. Without remote video surveillance and an audio deterrent, who knows what could have happened.
5 Advantages of Remote Video Surveillance for Apartment Properties
Remote video surveillance provides other benefits besides averting crime and damage. Anything can happen between property inspections. Video surveillance will be able to spot problems, damage, and potential hazards before they escalate. For instance, the operator sees a leak in the basement and notifies property management before it turns into a flood and does serious damage.
1. Can minimize employee theft
The security technology reduces the chance of internal theft because employees will know there are cameras watching everything on the property. That’s why it’s important to train new employees about the security process and system. It’s critical to conduct security training on at least a yearly basis.
2.Helps reduce liability risk
Another advantage of video surveillance is it can help reduce liability. It’s very hard to prove liability claims. When residents, visitors, and even criminals claim they got hurt on the property, you’ll have the video evidence to counter the claim. Yes, people planning to commit a crime can sue and win liability lawsuits.
The presence of video cameras can help prove liability and reduce the chances of an incident taking place. Thus, video surveillance may actually help lower apartment property liability. (This article provides court cases to support this.)
3. Provides 24/7 protection
Crime and problems can occur at any time. It can be day or night. You not only have security cameras capturing everything, but also analytics and operators adding another layer of security. Residents will have peace of mind knowing this.
4. Puts professional eyes on your property
Some property managers have their employees watching the property from their devices or computers. However, these employees have their own responsibilities. They should not be the sole people monitoring the property. Maximizing video surveillance requires having trained monitors watching the cameras.
The team of security professionals will send an email or text message to property management anytime something occurs. They will also include any images or video clips related to the incident. Whether you’re on or off the property, you’ll feel assured knowing that someone is watching your property at all times.
5. Helps Prevent false alarms
The problem with most security systems is that they can cause false alarms that send police or firefighters to the apartment property. Some cities charge companies for false alarms. Or the first one may be free, but subsequent alarms will require a fee. You also take up first-responder resources that could be better used elsewhere on a real alarm.
Video surveillance makes it possible to provide visual verification before calling emergency services. The Center for Problem-Oriented Policing research affirms that cities requiring verification saw a decrease of false alarms by a whopping 90 percent.
Remote video surveillance may offer the following advantages:
- Quicker police response
- Extensive site coverage
- Video review
- Cost savings
- System health checks
Video surveillance and other innovative security solutions help reduce theft at your apartment as well as increase its marketability. It can be the very factor that helps potential residents choose your property over other options.
What Do Property Managers Need to Do to Get Apartment Security?
You may be wondering about the cost of video surveillance. It’s surprisingly affordable, which makes it possible to get a fast ROI for your security. Video surveillance maximizes security while giving your residents the assurance they need they’re living in a safe place.
Every industry has unique security requirements including the multifamily residential industry. You’ll start by contacting security companies with apartment property experience. Add ECAM to this list.
In working with ECAM, you’ll receive a custom security plan for your apartment property created by our security experts. They’ll provide you with a security system that meets your needs without overspending. Here’s a video surveillance checklist on the things to keep in mind when looking for a solution that meets your needs.
Even within the apartment property industry, the requirements will not be the same for every multifamily residential building. Download your free Complete Guide to Securing Your Apartment Building
to learn more.
The guide details what you can do to secure your apartment building while protecting your residents and employees. You’ll learn about four lines of defense that you need to secure your apartment property. You’ll learn how to choose the right security solution without overpaying for it. Ready to learn more? Contact us.
