The security of a development site is a feature most property developers forget, quite often it is not something they consider or plan into their schedule of costs.
Yet with your own home you take every precaution you can to secure your assets, lock away your belongings and protect what is yours.
I must admit, as a seasoned property developer I too started my journey with this frame of mind and like most people I realised the seriousness of working with a security company when it was too late.
There are many reasons why properties, residential or commercial are left empty for different lengths of time. Sometimes, properties and premises can be left vacant for a number of months or even years and so it is important to make sure that the property or properties in question are properly secured.
Some of the most common problems facing empty properties include:
- Vandalism and Graffiti
- Burglary and Theft of Fixtures and Fittings
- Squatters
- Trespassers
- Fly Tipping and Rubbish Dumping
My thought process changed when I found that the cost of repairing the damaged property meant I could either claim of my insurance and be hit with high insurance costs on all future developments or do I lose half of the profits in the development by redoing works already done.
There are two things you need to do when considering security:
- Change your mind set, look at your projects and work out what if one in five or even one in ten is damaged, how much would that equate to in respect to a loss and apply that to the cost of having security on all your developments. I can assure you the latter will save you a lot of money in the long run.
- Find a security company you can work with and one that fits with your needs, security can be presented in different ways such as hoarding, gating, barriers, an onsite presence, or manned CCTV.
We have sites all over the UK so we needed national coverage, more importantly we needed a company that offered flexibility as the site developed.
Developments will go through different stages and you can adjust the security to match this, whilst you have heavy machinery on site you may want a local presence, as the kitchens and bathrooms are fitted, you maybe more comfortable with cameras watching the site and protecting your assets.
We have partnered with security company, Nation Wide who are based in the northwest but with a network and presence across the UK. www.nation-wide.co
It is important to have piece of mind when you are growing your portfolio, treat the security of your property or development as part of the site set up.
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
For questions about security speak to the team at Nation Wide on 0151 709 9665 who are happy to answer any questions and provide a free no obligation quotation.
