With 261,189 empty properties in England alone and many more across the UK, we explore the reason behind the rise, the risks associated with this and how to protect your property against them.
Vacant properties across the UK are on the rise with the most recent Government statistics revealing a 5% rise in the number of vacant properties compared to the previous year in England alone.
It recorded a total of 676,304 vacant and long-term vacant properties in England with the North faced with higher figures than other regions.
However, this figure has been estimated at around 1 million by Action on Empty Homes, displaying an even worse picture for vacant properties within the UK.
This rise in vacant properties leads to an increased risk in security issues related to them, and can be difficult to manage, especially for commercial properties. But why has the UK seen this rise in vacant properties?
Understanding the Rise in Vacant Property Across the UK
There are various contributing factors relating to the rising in vacant properties across the UK, however, there are three main trends associated with this:
Industrial Decline
Industry tends to influence the demand of properties within a particular area. Therefore, if an industry or big organisation closes there then this is likely to impact the overall area, including the demand for property.
This can lead to an increase in vacant properties within the area, which can be hard to recover.
Property Investment
Over recent years, there have been some changes in property investments that have seen investors buying property as assets rather than for occupancy, leaving properties empty.
For some, properties may only be left vacant for short periods of time, however, for others, properties could remain long-term vacant depending on the purpose of them.
Neighbourhood Decline
Areas will change in their desirability throughout our lifetime and this will directly correlate with the housing market.
Where crime is more prevalent, selling property can be more difficult and the number of homeowners, residents and business owners leaving the area will likely increase.
This can force properties to become vacant as those living within the area may leave. It can also create knock-on side effects to any existing businesses as there are fewer residents and regular customers that utilise you.
What Does the Rise in Vacant Property Mean for you?
A rise in vacant properties will likely lead to a rise in crime associated with them.
They are a criminal's dream due to the lack of occupancy providing them with the perfect opportunity to intercept the property and carry out any illegal activity they wish with minimal risk of being caught.
According to the Office of National Statistics, 750,000 vacant buildings are vandalised in the UK every year. This is just one threat to vacant properties, others such as theft and squatting are also prevalent and could lead to you facing financial implications from this.
Additional risks related to unoccupied properties are also likely to increase including maintenance issues as properties are visited and monitored less.
Overall, for property managers and those responsible for any buildings, you should be aware of the security risks faced by vacant properties as this rise will seem enticing to criminals as the number of opportunities for them increases.
This could lead to your property falling victim to such crime as those individuals seek easy targets like your vacant property will be for them, unless you secure it appropriately.
Vacant Properties: The Common Security Risks
There are five main security risks associated with vacant properties, and it is key that property managers and those responsible for any buildings are aware of these.
However, awareness is only part of the solution for ensuring your property is protected correctly.
Using our 20-years of security solution-based knowledge and having developed successful responses to vacant properties we provided our security recommendations to target each individual issue.
Theft and Vandalism
Although, theft of any furnishings and personal property is unlikely as properties must be void of these in order to be classed as vacant, items related to the structural integrity and functioning of the property can be attractive to thieves.
Metal prices have been on the rise, with copper theft having increased heavily throughout the years due to this.
Many properties will utilise metal in various ways and thieves will target vacant properties due to the ease of being able to commit this type of crime.
Vandalism is also popular amongst criminals relating to vacant properties for similar reasons to theft. The low risks connected to vacant properties places them at heightened security risk to both issues, especially where security is not present.
WCCTV’s Response:
Theft and vandalism pose big threats to your vacant property. At WCCTV, throughout our 20-years in security solutions we have heard stories about the devastating impact of this crime on property managers and owners.
However, with these stories, there have also been successes where we have been able to support those businesses through the use of our products, specifically our CCTV Towers.
We have a range of Towers that support numerous industries including the world of vacant properties. There are multiple benefits to our CCTV Towers, however, for issues relating to theft and vandalism there are some specific features aimed to deter such crime and capture criminals in the act:
- Remote Monitoring Services - All our products are backed by remote monitoring services where we utilise security professionals to monitor any motion to assess threat level and respond accordingly to this.
- Criminal Deterrent Factor - Standing up to 6 metres high and being bright yellow, our CCTV Towers create a bold security presence that notifies criminals that the vacant property is under watch to help prevent criminal activity from taking place.
- Live Voice-Down Audio - In instances of active crime, our Towers have live voice-down audio that allows operators to personalise the threat to any intruders, potentially informing them that the police have been called or describing their features to reveal their identities.
Trespassing and Squatting
Vacant properties make great targets for trespassing and squatting because of their lack of occupancy. Especially with squatting, as they can easily occupy the property with low risk of anyone actively stopping them at the point of doing so.
Once occupying the property, the removal of any squatters can be difficult and may leave you with financial implications as there is a high likelihood you will need legal support to complete this.
Additionally, trespassers can create damage to your property which may be quite costly depending on the type of damage they create.
WCCTV’s Response:
Trespassing can happen quite frequently with vacant properties and although most CCTV systems will be able to monitor this, many will throw up false alarms based on motion being detected on site. This can create ineffectiveness in the service and security errors.
Our suggestion to avoid this would be to find a CCTV service that has precise monitoring as this can boost the security support that is provided to your vacant property.
At WCCTV, we refined the type of service our products work via to reduce the chance of false alarms and increase the speed in which relevant personnel are informed.
For trespassers and squatters, time is of the essence to intercept such activity, making the response central to the protection of your property. Otherwise, once situated in the property, removal is difficult or impossible without legal support.
Maintenance Issues
As vacant properties have no occupiers, there is an increased risk of maintenance issues as this area may not be checked as regularly and can often be neglected.
Issues such as water leaks, structural damage, and electrical problems can all occur with vacant properties and if left to worsen can be expensive to resolve.
Local authorities may also penalise you if you fail to address maintenance issues as well as face legal action as landlords and those responsible for the property are required to maintain its state.
WCCTV’s Response:
There are a couple of suggestions here. Firstly, with any vacant property you should be completing regular checks on it or employing someone to do so.
This allows you to stay on top of any maintenance issues that could arise such as plumbing issues and electrical issues.
We also recommend that during the Winter months you set a timed heating schedule to ensure no damage is caused by the cold weather.
Increased Insurance Premiums
Compared to standard home or commercial property insurance, vacant property insurance (also known as unoccupied property insurance) is often more expensive because of the heightened risks associated with them.
Fewer insurers may offer quotes, leading to higher prices for those that do require it.
However, there are ways to mitigate these costs.
WCCTV’s Response:
There are various ways to mitigate costs with your insurance such as, increasing your voluntary excess and paying annually, however, one of the most effective methods is to implement security measures on the property.
Burglar alarms, deadbolts, and keyholding services are some simple ways to support yourself, however, utilising a CCTV system is the best measure to help with this.
Our CCTV Towers have specific design features that work to support vacant properties and their unique requirements, including helping to reduce your insurance premium. Although not the main aim of our support, it is an additional benefit to the high-quality security service we offer.
However, most importantly it helps to reduce security breaches and property damage as our remote monitoring service will monitor and respond to threats appropriately in hopes of intercepting and deterring any crime from happening.
The less you need to claim on your insurer, the lower your vacant property insurance should remain.
Arson
Generally, the risk of fire is higher with vacant properties and due to this the chance of criminals targeting these property types for arson is also increased.
Arson can be extremely dangerous and damaging for your property and the surrounding area. Serious attacks can destroy a full property, creating tremendous expenditure for you to rebuild from this.
WCCTV’s Response:
There are multiple security measures that can be implemented to secure your vacant property, however, with arson being a particularly unique issue for them, you need to ensure your security can manage this threat effectively.
Perimeter fencing and boarding up your property will reduce some risks, but may not be suitable for preventing arson.
Installing a mobile CCTV system will provide protection to various security risks including arson. For further security, utilising a system with infrared technology such as, our Thermal Solar CCTV Tower, the temperature of the property will be monitored and flag a trigger if it goes above the set limit.
This provides additional abilities to identify any fires, ensuring a response can be sent out as soon as possible in these situations.
Why you Should Choose WCCTV to Secure your Vacant Property
As the number of vacant properties increase across the UK, you need to remain focused on protecting yours to avoid becoming another one of the statistics and facing the repercussions of this.
However, with this increased demand in security, the world of surveillance solutions has grown and deciding the best measure for you can be tricky with all the choices available out there.
Throughout our company’s 20+ years of existence we have listened to our customers’ needs and responded by creating innovative solutions that support multiple industries.
Find out how we can support you and your vacant property needs by getting in touch with one of our security specialists today!
