Preventing Burglary and Vandalism on Commercial Properties

3/12/2020 (Permalink)

Burglary and vandalism are very expensive problems for commercial property owners. Getting money for repairs from the insurance company can be stressful and complicated, especially when a property has already been damaged by a fire. Preventing vandalism and avoiding the need for additional insurance claims can help save time, money, and worry. Here are five steps that you can take to protect your property:

• Invest in good lighting. Vandalism most often happens in night and under the cover of darkness. If your business property and surrounding parking area is well lit, it will not attract vandals, especially the type of vandals that are simply looking for easy targets. Keep the area lit even if it closed while awaiting repairs.
   
• Invest in great security. Is vandalism a big enough problem in your area that it would be cost-effective to have security at night or temporarily while the property is unoccupied? Look at the damage done by vandalism on your property in recent years as well as how much you have spent on insurance. Now look at how much extra security would cost. Does the math work?
   
• Make smart design and landscape choices. Just as lighting can help stop vandalism, using certain material choices and smart landscape design can also keep lawbreakers and mischief-makers away. For example, using thick, thorny bushes on the borders of your buildings can deter taggers.
   
• Clean up vandalism as soon as possible. Unfortunately, vandalism follows vandalism. Your buildings are less likely to be damaged if they are kept up and do not already have signs of property damage from vandals. This applies even to properties that have been damaged by other causes, even if repairs or repainting are already scheduled for the future.
   
• Get active in your community. What is at the root of vandalism? Usually, it is a combination of boredom, anger, and defiancé in the community’s youth. Go straight to the source of vandalism by getting active and being visible in your community: support youth recreation, help local schools, adopt a nearby park or road, and donate your time and money.

Sadly, not all vandals can be stopped, even if you take all of the precautions listed above. If your commercial property has been damaged by vandalism, it should at least be a relief to know that the costs of repair may be covered by your property insurance policy.

*Courtesy of https://www.vosslawfirm.com/blog/commercial-property-vandalism-after-a-fire.cfm