Securing your multi-family buildings: property & tenant safety

Rental Property Investor · Mars, PA · Member since 2014 · 92 posts · 36 votes

BP--I'm looking for best practices on safety measures to reduce crime, breaking and entering, etc. What methods have you deployed to protect your property and make your tenants feel safe? Things that come to mind are bars around windows and a heavy metal security door over entrances. Security cameras: what providers have you had good and bad experiences with? Please share the good, bad, and ugly on property and tenant safety. Thanks!

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Joel OwensBusiness Member
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Real Estate Broker · Canton, GA · Member since 2010 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
12y
Hi Danny,
You must be investing in some war zone type areas to want steel bars on windows.
First thing I would look at is your area in general.
Define if you are rural, suburban, or urban core.
Then locate nearest fire and police stations from your property. Then go to a crime report website. There are many free ones that will break down crimes by activity and area. You can look at seriousness of the crime being violent versus non-violent offenses. If you can't find this online for your area you will need to get from the local police station.
If the map for instance shows a heavy crime pattern centered around your complex but the area isn't that bad you need to clean house on the property. If there is high crime all around your property for awhile then the area is just bad. Good tenants aren't going to want to stay in those really bad areas except ones that have no choice.
If this is a larger complex installing a fence around the place and an electronic gate at the entrance helps keep criminals out. If it's an open parking lot without gated access then criminals can loiter, deal drugs, etc. and make an easy escape. Criminals want the path of least resistance most times as they are bums they want a quick fix and are lazy. Having a handyman or security do nightly patrols around the property lets criminals know the property is actively being watched and to stay away. Have a small monetary reward for tenants that report suspicious activity that leads to an arrest etc. Go through existing tenant files to see who should go to eliminate the bad elements who should have never been approved in the first place.
Add lighting around the property to keep areas from being dark around access points. Add cameras even if fake to appear the perps are being watched. Have alarms signs placed around the area to make them think security systems are in each unit. Have re-enforced doors with kick plates to make entry much tougher.
Tons of things to do. No legal advice.
I don't invest in areas like that and avoid it all together.................. : )
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J. MartinPro Member
Rental Property Investor · Oakland, CA · Member since 2011 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
12y
@Danny Duran ,
@Joel Owens had some great tips. I invest in some lower-income areas and always include some security in my budget. Lorex cameras are good, and can be viewed remotely online, or on your phone. I recommend the HD cameras. A 9-camera HD system w/ 3TB DVR was on sale at Costco online for $1,500. You can read license plates a ways away with these.
Motion-sensor lights on exterior. Locking gate around unit areas, that works well and can't be snuck through or unlocked from outside. I like a fence around the exterior, but can be expensive if already in place..
If people feel safe, you will probably get better tenants, and worth the investment IMHO..
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