Vacant Property Security Planning: A Practical Guide for Owners and Managers

• unauthorised occupation;
• theft of metals, cabling, fixtures and plant;
• criminal damage, graffiti and fly-tipping;
• deliberate fire setting;
• escape of water from frozen or damaged pipes, which can go unnoticed for days;
• injury to intruders, which can create liability.

Many of these problems escalate quickly once a building appears neglected, so early, visible measures matter.

Consider how long the building will be empty and what will happen next: a short letting void needs different measures from a long-term disposal or a site awaiting demolition. HSE’s basic risk assessment steps (identify hazards, assess the risk, take action) are a useful framework.

Duties to people who enter

The Occupiers’ Liability Act 1984 means an occupier can owe a duty to people who are not lawful visitors, including trespassers, where it knows of a danger and has reasonable grounds to believe someone may come near it. Reasonable steps to keep people out, and warnings about dangers, help discharge that duty.

Fire safety

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places duties on the “responsible person” for non-domestic premises, which can include owners, landlords, managing agents and others with control. Confirm with your fire risk assessor how the order applies to your empty building and whether the fire risk assessment needs revising for the vacant period.

Squatting

In England and Wales, squatting in a residential building is a criminal offence under section 144 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. Squatting in non-residential buildings is not in itself a crime, although related acts, such as damage, can be, and removal usually requires a legal process. Preventing entry in the first place is far simpler than removing occupants afterwards.

Business rates

In England, empty property relief normally lasts three months for most non-domestic properties after they become empty, with a further three months (up to six months in total) for industrial premises such as warehouses. After that, full rates usually apply, which affects the cost of holding the building and the timing of any decision on disposal.

These can include notifying the insurer, regular inspections, removing combustible waste, draining down water systems, securing entry points and keeping records. The exact terms vary, so read your policy wording or speak to your broker before the building becomes empty, and plan your inspection schedule to meet the conditions.

Our guide to mobile patrols versus static guarding explains how to choose between those two options.

Draining down water systems reduces the risk of escape of water but may not suit buildings with sprinklers. Retaining a power supply may be needed for alarms, lighting or pumps. Record what was isolated, where, and by whom, and include utility checks in each inspection.

• the perimeter, gates and fencing;
• doors, windows, screens and boarding for signs of tampering;
• roof access and signs of metal theft;
• signs of occupation, entry or fly-tipping;
• water leaks, damp, meter readings and isolations;
• combustible waste or post build-up;
• alarm and detection equipment status.

Each inspection should be recorded with date, time, findings, photographs where useful, and actions taken. A consistent record helps show your insurer that conditions have been met, helps your surveyor plan maintenance and is useful evidence if an incident occurs. See security incident reporting explained.

If entry is found, the building may need to be checked, re-secured and boarded the same day. If an alarm activates, someone needs to attend; see the benefits of professional keyholding.

For a short void between tenants, the priority is usually to keep the building presentable and insurable: locks changed or keys recovered, alarm maintained and monitored, regular inspections, and post and waste cleared so the building does not look abandoned. For long-term vacancy, or buildings awaiting redevelopment, heavier physical security such as steel screens and doors becomes more likely, along with decisions on utilities, detection in the absence of mains power, and more frequent or randomised patrols. Review the plan if the expected vacancy period changes.

Providing a contact number for reporting concerns, and making sure your security provider and managing agent hold the same information, helps issues get reported and dealt with quickly. Where a building is in a residential area, consider how lighting, alarms and CCTV will affect neighbours.

• Site survey and risk assessment completed
• Insurer notified and unoccupancy conditions understood
• Fire risk assessment reviewed for the vacant period
• All entry points secured, including roof and yard
• Combustible waste and post removed or controlled
• Utilities isolated or retained by documented decision
• Detection and monitoring in place where justified
• Inspection schedule set and record template agreed
• Keyholder and response arrangements confirmed
• Review date set

Services are available across the UK. See our vacant properties page, or request a quote.