Vacant rental property security monitoring

Atlanta, Georgia
Managing Your Property
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Vacant rental property security monitoring

Yash Warke
Atlanta, GA · Member since 2022 · 17 posts · 6 votes

Team - I own a rental property in Decatur GA. Have had a couple of tenants over the last couple years, but the time between tenants when the property is vacant has been problematic for me. Twice I’ve had squatter situations. One time we had to get an intruder warrant and the second time (easier), we had to go the option of “cash for keys” to get them out.

Sounds like people (or someone) has an eye on the property and knows it is vacant. We live an hour away and so not very easy for us to constantly keep monitoring it. We work with a property management company, but they don’t really do much from a security monitoring perspective. Drilling out and hijacking the lockbox are the main ways of getting in. I put in some fake security camera in the hope that it will serve as a deterrent, but those also were found smashed.

My question to this community is what have you guys used to monitor your vacant properties? Ring/SimpliSafe/ADT - are these options? Has anyone used them? What about WiFi needed for this (as it is a vacant property with no WiFi)? What about deer camera on trees or solar cameras? Any other suggestions? Thanks.

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Drew SygitBusiness Member
Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 13k+ posts · 9k+ votes
1y

Sounds like you've got a Class C or D rental.

We also use DAWGS, but makes showings more difficult.

We prefer to:

1) Yank the furnace & hot water tank
2) Turn off water at street
3) Turn off gas
4) Have even had to cut electricity at the pole, due to squatters hot-wiring turned off electric meters.

All this is done to make the property unappealing to thieves & squatters.

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  • Shawn AckermanPro Member
    Real Estate Entrepreneur · Mid West, East Coast · Member since 2015 · 3k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    1y

    @Yash Warke sorry you have to deal with this man.  I know the feeling.  We've used DAWGS security system.  This has been a fullproof method and we've used them on different properties over the past year.  Not sure if they are in GA as our properties are in the Mid-West.  Check them out though. https://www.dawgsinc.com/dawgs-door-and-window-guard-system-...

    Alternatively you can get Eufy Floodlight Cams.  They have an alarm on them and you can get 24 Hour monitoring.  Cams are in 2K and are hardwired so you'd need the power to be on.  We use cell service for WIFI as the cams are wireless.

    Cams are around $189 Ea and Wife is about $50 per month. You can add an SD card for 24-Hour Recording. https://www.amazon.com/eufy-Security-Floodlight-Motion-Activ...

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  • Drew SygitBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 13k+ posts · 9k+ votes
    1y

    Sounds like you've got a Class C or D rental.

    We also use DAWGS, but makes showings more difficult.

    We prefer to:

    1) Yank the furnace & hot water tank
    2) Turn off water at street
    3) Turn off gas
    4) Have even had to cut electricity at the pole, due to squatters hot-wiring turned off electric meters.

    All this is done to make the property unappealing to thieves & squatters.

    [email protected]248-209-6824
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    • Dan Na
      Member since 2024 · 11 posts · 5 votes
      1y
      Quote from @Drew Sygit:

      Sounds like you've got a Class C or D rental.

      We also use DAWGS, but makes showings more difficult.

      We prefer to:

      1) Yank the furnace & hot water tank
      2) Turn off water at street
      3) Turn off gas
      4) Have even had to cut electricity at the pole, due to squatters hot-wiring turned off electric meters.

      All this is done to make the property unappealing to thieves & squatters.

      I agree with Drew here. Before investing in general security--it may help to cut any utilities that can easily be reinstated by 'makeshift' methods. Drew also highlights that if your rental is Class C or below, you're essentially making the property unappealing to squatters.

      Now, regarding some affordable security solutions which I use and are easy to control from anywhere, here are my recommendations: 

      - Set up a solar or wired security light + alert cluster above your garage or tucked away near the entryway.
      - Ring doorbells are nice but are at ground level and can be torn away. You could always replace if that were the case but why not invest in a Blink battery-powered WIFI outdoor camera mounted slightly above your door? Blink security cameras have long-lasting batteries and don't need to be wired and are weather resistant. Also easy to set up and link to an Amazon account. This can also be controlled on your phone from...anywhere with the Alexa app. 
      - Buy some basic plug-in indoor cameras (AC adapter powered but no wires otherwise) like some of the Tapo-link cameras. Those too are Alexa compatible and can be controlled with the Alexa app and/or an Echo dot or Echo show. Tapo and many other indoor cameras have a motion powered alarm that can be turned on and a dial-in speaker system. I doubt you'd want to dial up a squatter should they access the property but the alarm will certainly alert them and you. 
      - Doors and windows can be secured by buying in bulk (these are sometimes sold in packs of six) magnetic alarms. Those too can be synced to a Alexa or their own app and are triggered if any door/window is opened while they're active. 
      - Install electronic door locks which can likewise be controlled by app. 

      Buying and setting these up independently requires a small investment but it puts you more in control of the security of the property while vacant. Literally, just open the apps and power any of the devices without paying a subscription to ADT. The only thing with my security set-up here that may not be so appealing is you'd need to still need to have electricity and internet connected to power the cameras to your phone. If that's a dealbreaker...best to go with Drew's suggestions and get some solar powered security lights, keep ADT and install electronic door/window locks. 
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  • Josh SedivyBusiness Member
    St. Louis, MO · Member since 2024 · 134 posts · 55 votes
    1y
    Thanks for sharing your experience in dealing with squatters is incredibly frustrating, and unfortunately more common than people think with vacant rentals.

    To help monitor and secure your property more effectively, here are some options that other hosts and landlords have found useful:

    -Ring or similar doorbell/security cams are a great deterrent and allow real-time video monitoring with motion alerts.
    -If you have outdoor access to power, consider adding a wired or solar-powered camera at both the front and rear entrances.
    -You can use Noise Monitoring Devices like NoiseAware. It monitors decibel levels, not content, and alerts you when something seems off. It monitors decibel levels, not content, and alerts you when something seems off.

    -Consider using a smart lock (like Schlage Encode or August) that lets you manage and monitor entry access remotely. You can deactivate codes immediately and see entry logs. This also helps protect against lockbox tampering, which you've mentioned has been an issue.
    -Inform your property manager or neighbors to keep an eye out and report suspicious activity quickly.

    I hope this helps!

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  • JD MartinBusiness Member
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    Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 17k+ votes
    1y

    If I had squatter problems more than one time I would bite the bullet for monitored security and just consider it a cost of doing business, assuming I didn't want to sell the house. Once the system is installed, you leave it installed and (if you want) turn it on and off when you have/don't have tenants. Simplisafe is the easiest way to do that - they don't care if you subscribe/unsubscribe every other month - but once you get past the contract date you can do it with more or less any of them. Because you don't have and don't want to pay for wifi, you need a system that's monitored by cell.

    Trail cams are only going to tell you that someone has broken in, if they're mounted in the right spot. Years ago I used to have one that worked with US Cellular, but they got out of the business so I have no idea if any of the other carriers have these any more. 

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  • Greg ParkerBusiness Member
    Realtor, Contractor, Property Manager · Montgomery AL and Kowaliga, AL · Member since 2017 · 670 posts · 536 votes
    1y

    Some things we have had success with:

    +  Decoy car in the driveway, move it around every couple of days.

    +  Remove doors from appliances.

    +  Leave doors unlocked(so they won't destroy your door)

    +  Fenced in yard?  Rent a dog.

    +  Flood lights, fake cameras.

    Worst case scenario, I had to pay a couple of college kids to stay in the house while I was renovating and getting rent ready.  One stayed all night, the other stayed all day.

    All of that ends up costing 2-3k, but that is a lot cheaper than a new AC unit.  One of the college kids ended up being my tenant.

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  • David NA
    Member since 2024 · 4 posts · 1 vote
    1y

    I had a similar issue in the past with a vacant property that was somewhat isolated and secluded. I wanted a way to keep an eye on it remotely. My solution was to purchase a mobile hotspot that uses a phone SIM card, along with a budget-friendly mobile plan—like a Straight Talk Wireless SIM card and plan—from a local big-box store. This allowed me to set up an inexpensive Wi-Fi hotspot that I could plug in and hide inside the house. Since it was a month-to-month plan, I could easily cancel the service and store the equipment once the property was rented, then reactivate it in the future if needed.

    We already had a few Ring doorbell cameras, which connected easily to the hotspot. Any motion would trigger the cameras, sending a notification and live video feed directly to my phone. Fortunately, I never experienced any break-ins or intrusions, but my thinking was that if someone did attempt to enter, I’d be notified immediately and could call local authorities to respond.

    I'm not completely certain about squatter rights—since they can vary by state—but in my opinion, it would be difficult for someone to claim squatter’s rights if the property owner reported a burglary while the intruder was actively entering the home.

    Hope this helps!

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  • Yash Warke
    OP
    Atlanta, GA · Member since 2022 · 17 posts · 6 votes
    1y

    Thanks everyone for your invaluable responses! Learnt a lot!

    We finally bit the bullet and are installing cheap month-to-month WiFi and a home security system, plus a smart lock on each door accessing outside. Combined across all this, we hope that we deter squatters and if they do decide to break in, catch them in the act.

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  • Greg ParkerBusiness Member
    Realtor, Contractor, Property Manager · Montgomery AL and Kowaliga, AL · Member since 2017 · 670 posts · 536 votes
    1y

    I have Ring on my personal house and several Blink on my STR. I would say they both work 70% of the time. It will will show a delivery truck pull up, but not show the guy come to the door. Very random in what it chooses to capture. It will show someone leaving the property, but never show them arrive. But, 8,000 videos of a leaf blowing, it always catches that. But, we did catch one old lady stealing a flower pot. Police department is 300 yards away, so they were there in 45 seconds. It was hilarious watching 2 cops pull guns on a 75 year old woman. She could have just asked, and we would have given it to her.

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