Are installing security cameras for college rentals a mistake?
I have many college rentals, all long term, about $1300 per unit. Turn over is every August so I get 20+ brand new 19 -20 year old tenants every 365 days, like rotation for the past 20 years. These past few years the burglaries has risen, especially with the homeless and addicts stealing the tenants bicycles which you can pretty much find down beside their tents they set up in the city park or beside the creek here. A few times they came though windows and stole electronics and left through the back door. Thank goodness none of my female tenants have been assaulted yet. Police won't do anything about any of this because the city regulations, city wont do anything because of politics and ACLU. Tenant's parents way out in California calling me nonstop asking me to do something to make their kid safe as if I can just randomly go play Dirty Harry with a 44 magnum. After 20 years of dealing with these college kids, city regulations, and drug addicts stealing everything, I am pretty close to being Michael Douglas in the Falling Down movie.
Anyway, I saw a Lorex 8 camera NVR system today at the costco and thought that would calm down some nerves but I know me and it's going to really make me angry and stressed constantly because my tenants are inept and would be breaking a new house rule every other day, smoking indoors, bungee jumping off the roof, throwing firecrackers at cars, urinating in the front yard while spinning in circles etc and I'd be right there at the camera watching it and letting my blood pressure go through the roof, also I would be on the only house on the block with cameras and the police would be hitting me up nonstop every time another house on the block was broken into asking for footage because none of the other landlords here want cameras for the exact same reason. And if I am being honest, there is only a few of us left in my area that hasn't hired a property manager company and tossed them 20% and said " Make me money , keep your 20% , and don't bother me."
So, for my question, has any other landlord specifically dealing with college rentals or a zoo like environment have any similar experience with cameras and what did you decide to do, install cameras or just say no thanks, not worth the stress and anger knowing what's actually going on at my properties?
You could use something like trail cams. They record photos, video, and audio but you have to go to the device to retrieve the recordings. If someone steals the tenant's bike, the tenant can look for evidence on the camera and deal with it. You won't be able to monitor anything, so nobody will bother you for information.
They are capable of being strapped to something with anti-theft straps or in secure boxes, but you still run the risk of someone stealing it, not replacing batteries, or other issues.
The best solution is to hand it to a PM or sell and move your money to a safer market. It may cut down on earnings, but at least you won't be stressing.
- Real Estate Broker
- 1658 N. Milwaukee Ave Ste B PMP 18969 Chicago, IL 60647
- 4,878
- Votes |
- 5,838
- Posts
@Mike Morris I recently installed cameras at a building here in the Chicago are where we had a bunch of drug using, criminal tenants we inherited. The cameras were ok, but they weren't much of a deterrent. In fact, once we finally evicted them a few weeks ago I found one of the cameras that they had stolen in their things! Insane!
I feel like there might be better ways of making the property less friendly to burglary. Maybe some sort of attractive iron fence?
