Multi-tenant buildings face a number of unique challenges in trying to secure the safety of those leasing space in their buildings as well as visitors to their properties. These are just a few such challenges and concerns.

Solicitors are an on-going challenge as there are genuine sales and service professionals daily coming in and out of such buildings all day long. But how does property management, or even their tenants, know who are real and who are not? To simply “assume” they are who they say they are, or are who they are dressed as, is to risk potential theft or worse in the building. This is where tenants of such buildings must be TRAINED to be alert to such people, and such potential risks. No one wishes to deny legitimate sales people their livelihood, but neither do people want to have their property and possessions stolen by someone only “pretending” to be a sales professional. The same holds true for those pretending to be service professionals in the building. It pays to simply make property management and/or security aware of such individuals wandering the hallways.

Parking garages and parking lots represent other points of vulnerability onsite, but this is especially true of garages since they offer thieves visual cover to go undetected unless monitored by camera systems in the garage – and most garages do not have monitored camera systems.

Although some may take solace in the fact that there is a gated or card key access into the garage to restrict entrance, onsite managers know that thieves often slip in right behind legitimate tenants into the garage, doing their deeds and slipping back out again on the tails of another car. They can also trip some underground sensor that does not require card access to leave, only to enter. This is no different than many upscale apartment communities, not that you can take comfort in this fact either, as many thieves simply walk right in behind a legitimate resident or tenant.

And while some garages may have a paid attendant at the exit, this is typically preceded by an automated ticket dispenser at the front-end of the garage. No problem. Any thief will find it worth the price of admission to enter and pay on the way out as a common visitor to the building and garage. The parking garage ticket is a no-brainer when it comes to the ROI potential in the criminal’s mind. This is because tenants of the building are unaware of their neighbors and do not know who legitimately belongs in their buildings and their garages.

But none of this compares to the threat of violence that is becoming more common in the workplace. Increasingly, domestic violence situations involving spouses and ex-lovers being followed to work can often lead to physical displays of violence, building security being called in, or even police intervention. No building manager wants their building known for as these situations can sometimes escalate to return visits where the jilted ex is now armed upon their return. And if ONE single employer did not take this issue seriously with their employees, any and all tenants are now at-risk as an ex-husband or ex-lover clears a path to their intended victim through innocent bystanders in the building.

The same dynamics of course also apply for ex-employees that return, possibly “with a vengeance”. But like the drama above, who typically communicates such concerns to property management and/or security? For the most part, none is my guess.

So what is the suggested strategy? Offer periodic tenant educational events to mitigate such risks and decrease property management liability. And, just as important, learn how to DOCUMENT such onsite initiatives as “if” something happens in such a building, a clear-and-present papertrail will be needed to document any and all due diligence efforts.

Need help in this process? Trouble Spotters can assist you in providing such qualified presenters, those who understand the liabilities as well as the appropriate documentation of property management efforts.

Jeff McKissack, Founder
Trouble Spotters

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