Why you need to secure a vacant property

Often when a building is vacant the owner will be less concerned about the level of security on the property. Because if there are no tenants or belongings inside, then there’s not really much there to protect – right? Unfortunately this isn’t the case at all.

Read on to find out more about why securing a vacant property is absolutely essential and could potentially save you thousands of pounds and a lot of time and stress.

The property itself needs protection

It’s not just people and items inside properties that need protection – it’s also the property itself and any internal fixtures and fittings. Vacant properties that don’t have adequate security are vulnerable to being broken into and when this happens there is rarely a scenario that doesn’t involve a lot of damage to the property itself.

Damage to properties in situations like this can be cosmetic, such as graffiti or broken windows, or can be more serious such as structural damage or causing damage to plumbing or electrics. Not only could a break-in on your vacant property be potentially expensive for you, it can also be very stressful and time consuming to sort out.

Squatters are common in vacant properties

There have been many cases where vacant properties have been used for illegal activities and extensively vandalised in the process, but that’s not the only threat that a vacant property with poor security is exposed to.

Vacant properties, especially those that have been empty for a while, are often targeted by squatters. Squatters may be moving from house to house and looking to stay short term, or worse they may stay long term and try to claim squatters rights to remain in the property. Properly evicting squatters who claim such rights can cost over £5000 in court costs, legal costs and paying for court sheriffs.

The steps you need to take

If your property is vacant, especially if it is known to be so and isn’t visited regularly, you should take steps to secure it. Protecting your property from the potential threats above could save you thousands of pounds in possible damage and will give you peace of mind.

There are a range of different steps you can take to improve security on your vacant property including replacing locks and fitting new locks on doors, windows, shutters and gates, ensuring that all of the locks are secure anti-snap locks, and if mortice locks, up to British Standard.

Need to improve security on a vacant property?

As specialist police approved locksmiths we have years of experience in securing vacant residential and commercial properties across Doncaster and South Yorkshire.