Residential security is important for several reasons. It can help prevent burglaries, vandalism, and other property-related crimes. With rising crime rates, it's more important than ever to protect your property and belongings from being stolen and vandalized.
By keeping a close eye on the following key areas that are the greatest threats to your apartment community, it will help keep your building and surrounding areas safe. 
Parking Lots and Garages
Parking lots and garages are a great security risk to residential properties. Oftentimes, the residents of the neighborhood have to deal with increased crime rates, noise, and vandalism. Parking lots and garages are often a target of crime due to the high volume of cars.
Improper parking lot security or garage security could also pose a threat to your overall security plan because that is where most guests gain access to your property. They also pose a risk to the cars that are being parked in that area. Thieves can break into these parking lots and garages at any time of the day or night if proper security measures are not put into place.
These large open spaces are also accessible to several people including residents, guests, and unfortunately, unwanted visitors. This is why properly controlled access to these areas is crucial to residential security. Having armed security can be a deterrent for criminals and provide an immediate response to emergencies such as theft, trespassing, and other conflicts. Security cameras should be placed throughout these areas to monitor the vehicular traffic and foot traffic that enters your property. Having regular unarmed security patrols can reduce these risks as well.
Amenity Spaces
Many multifamily complexes have communal areas—amenity spaces that are shared among residents such as a laundry room or an in-house gym. Keeping these spaces safe should also be a part of your residential security plan.
Having controlled access, for instance; keypad access, to these areas ensures that only authorized guests can enter. Having unarmed security could also be a great option. This would allow residents to live freely and use amenities on your property. This will additionally minimize the risk of unwanted visitors slipping past security and hiding in these unmonitored areas.
These amenity spaces may also house expensive equipment that should be protected against vandalism. Monitoring your facility with security cameras will allow you to document who enters and exits as well as what they do in these areas. As these communal spaces are used and shared by residents, security cameras will be able to record any disputes, accidents, or incidents that may occur. For the protection of both your tenants and your own liability, security cameras are a great way to mitigate risks.
Lobbies and Reception Areas
Concierge security doesn’t just improve the overall residents’ experience in your apartment building, they additionally provide a peace of mind to them. As a part of lobby security, a concierge security guard should always be present in order to provide controlled access to your property. This will decrease the risk of having any trespassers, burglars, and unwanted visitors entering.
They also can provide services of convenience such as managing mail and deliveries, which will ensure that packages are being given to the correct tenant. This prevents any mix ups in the delivery process. Should any conflicts arise between residents, concierge security can de-escalate and resolve the situation.
Concierge security personnel will not only monitor the entrance and lobby security, but they can also monitor the security cameras throughout the entire property. Their presence also allows residents to have someone who can respond quickly should any incidents occur on-site. If necessary, concierge security can easily alert emergency services as well.
How Can a Site Survey and Assessment Mitigate These Risks?
A site survey and assessment includes a physical inspection of the property; documenting all entrances, exits, and access points. The report will also have an assessment of any security measures that you currently have in place including security cameras, alarms, and guard patrols. This helps in determining the current security level of the property or location. A site survey and assessment can also be useful in determining a property’s compliance with regulatory requirements, such as health and safety legislation, and fire regulations.
Site surveys and assessments should always be conducted by security professionals in order to ensure that any risks and vulnerabilities of your property are assessed and how to best mitigate those risks is answered by someone with the proper knowledge.
About OPS
OPS Security Group has over 80 years of combined experience protecting executives, businesses, residents, guests and government officials throughout Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington D.C. and New Jersey. As a regional security alternative with a service-first approach, we offer a level of customer service that international providers are too big to deliver. If you'd like to learn more, you can contact us at https://opssecuritygroup.com/contact/