A property manager is a third party hired to handle day-to-day operations of a real estate investment. They manage all types of properties such as single family homes to large apartments. Property management involves numerous tasks such as collecting rent, handling leases, implementing maintenance and repair, understanding taxes, and many others. Among the most crucial jobs for property managers is maintaining security to keep the people, properties, and valuables within the real estate property safe.

Here are some of the apartment security steps that all property managers should take:

Screening Staff and Tenants

Security starts with the people. This means that a frontline security procedure is not all about the facility, equipment, tools, and gadget. First, you'll have to screen your staff before hiring and prospective tenants before signing a lease contract. Make the necessary background checks. Coordinate with the local police to check criminal records. Some property owners would also want a potential tenant's credit history. To maintain the property's integrity, it is important for the staff to have a good work history too.

Locks and Keys System

Property managers should also pay particular attention to the property's locks and keys system. Hire a professional commercial locksmith to regularly check and monitor your locks, keys, and overall security systems. When a former tenant moves out, you need to rekey locks to the apartment even if they surrender the master keys. A commercial locksmith will help you constantly upgrade your security systems with state-of-the-art technology to eliminate any weak spots that thieves and intruders tend to target.

Controlled Access

Property management also becomes more effective if you control access to the property. You can issue ticket passes at the gate, ask visitors to log in, or to have them surrender their ID that they can claim when leaving the premise. This procedure will tend to intimidate intruders and will discourage them to pursue whatever harm they're planning.

Identifiable Staff

To reiterate the fact that security begins with your staff, you'll also have to make them easily identifiable. Require your staff to always wear their uniforms and I.D. when visiting the tenants. Also, ask your tenants to familiarize themselves with the staff assigned to clean their rooms or to repair the apartment. You also need to inform the tenants about scheduled maintenance. For accidental repairs, ask the tenants to call the headquarters first before letting anyone who claims to be staff to enter their home.

At the core of property management is ensuring that the staff, tenants, and the property itself are safe and secured. Security should be an interplay between people and equipment and comes with the cooperation between the property manager, staff, tenants, and the owners.  

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