It’s an unfortunate truth that there are security risks every day, especially in cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Miami. According to NYC Crime Map, there were hundreds of burglaries in September, 2019 throughout the city. New York City has become safer than decades ago, but tenants everywhere still worry about the safety of their home, whether they live in a single-family home, an apartment building, or a condo. But the good news is that homeowners, building owners, and property managers can do something about it!
If you’re a property owner or manager, tenant peace of mind is most likely a high priority. But what are the best ways of increasing security for your buildings and allowing your residents to feel safe and secure? At Virtual Doorman, we offer remote doorman services that provide the same great benefits as a physical doorman, but at a fraction of the cost. With innovative technology and experienced staff who are passionate about helping you and your residents, you can provide a safe home for everyone living in your building.
Increasing Safety and Security For Managed Properties
Install Lighting
Having well-lit entryways, hallways, and parking areas is a great method for deterring crime. In the event that someone does try to commit a crime, it will be easier to catch and stop them in the act. Exterior entryways should always have a light on, but for some interior spaces, you can consider installing motion-sensor lights that can warn anyone who isn’t aware of them. It’s also important to keep up with any damaged lighting as well. Flickering lights or bulbs that have broken make the building appear unsafe, and as if the management doesn’t care.
Complete a Risk Assessment
It will be hard for property managers to know how to protect a building when they don’t fully understand what is wrong in the first place. A professional risk assessment will provide valuable insight into the security of your building, including entryways, doors, locks, and how easy it could be for someone to break in. When you understand how to make improvements, it will be much easier to put an action plan in place.
High-Security Locks
Doors to individual homes should be equipped with high-security locks to further prevent break-ins. Many interior doors come with a basic lock that can be broken fairly easily. But a high-quality lock is made of strong materials that are harder to break and will extend the life of the lock.
Install Stronger Doors
Along with high-security locks, exterior and unit doors should also be incredibly strong and difficult to break. The door itself can be made with steel, aluminum, or a metal alloy, and using three-inch screws for the door’s strike plate and hinges can increase the strength of the door.
Security Cameras
Installing a security camera is a great way to prevent crime and increase resident peace of mind. Even if the only thing the cameras capture is residents and guests walking in and out, it’s a history and timeline of events that could be crucial if a crime does occur. Cameras installed near entryways and hallways will significantly decrease the threat of a crime.
Sign Up For Virtual Doorman
A physical doorman can be a reassuring presence for tenants, but it can be costly and time-consuming for property managers or owners. With Virtual Doorman, tenants can still be greeted by a human, but they’re simply off-site.
With advanced technology, residents can use a video intercom that connects to Virtual Doorman staff who will facilitate letting in guests and screening service or delivery people. The technology features 24/7 instant connection, access to a mobile app for both Apple and Android phones, and a resident portal. The resident portal can be used to grant visitor access, schedule deliveries, request maintenance, request additional key fobs, and more. Each of your tenants will get personalized doorman services without the cost and hassle of having to train, manage, and pay a physical doorman.
To go one step further, Virtual Doorman also offers remote camera viewing. When you work with us, we’ll install cameras throughout the building so our staff can monitor deliveries and residents can track visitors on their smartphone, wherever they are at the time. There’s no more missing a delivery just because tenants can’t be home at the time.
Virtual Doorman doesn’t just provide peace of mind for the residents, though. We strive to help property managers as well. With our technology and staff, managing maintenance requests will be a breeze. We take over a variety of services to ensure that your tenants are getting the best possible experience, and you can save time and money at the same time.
Building security may seem like a challenging task, but with the right combination of technology, hardware, and software, you can provide your tenants with real peace of mind. Virtual Doorman works with hundreds of buildings throughout New York City and other locations across the country. If your tenants are worried about building security, give them the best service possible with Virtual Doorman.
View our service options and contact our team today with any questions.