Protect Your Commercial Real Estate Investment With These Security Features
So, you chose to invest in the commercial side of real estate. Many investors opt into this domain to diversify a real estate portfolio, while others make commercial real estate their main goal. You’ll see many benefits to going down this route - not least of which is the higher rental rates for commercial properties. Renting your assets to businesses will help you gain more money than a typical residential real estate investment.
The negative element of this is that commercial properties tend to be at a higher risk than residential ones. A criminal is more inclined to break into a business because there’s more likely to be high-value goods for them to steal. Break-ins and security threats are always problematic, and they will have a disruptive effect on your investment gains.
If your commercial property is regularly broken into or vandalized, this can impact its resale price. You may also struggle to sell the property in the future if it has poor security features - and don’t forget how much money you spend fixing all the damages. You need to protect your assets at all costs, so let’s look at some of the best security features to implement throughout the premises.
CCTV & Alarm Systems
You’ll have more control over your commercial investment when you see what’s going on. Install a competent surveillance system with CCTV cameras and alarms. Most security companies will do this for you and can monitor everything as well. It gives you peace of mind knowing that your property is being watched.
The benefit of this is that you also prevent security incidents involving tenants. Yes, you should be worried about external threats, but tenants can be guilty of damaging parts of the property or causing problems. A CCTV system deters this and protects your assets more than ever before.
Access Control Systems
As the owner of a commercial building, you’re free to implement whatever security features you want, and your tenants have to work around this. Communicate with your building management company and install an access control system at the front of the building. This controls everyone that comes in or out of your commercial property.
Modern systems are highly advanced on the inside yet easy for everyone to use. It’s a simple case of providing tenants with cards to tap against the access control systems. As a consequence, the only people allowed into the building are those who should have access. For example, security personnel, building management employees, and employees for any tenants renting the space.
A good access control system can deter and prevent many burglaries and security threats. Thus, you protect your investment and add value to it. The resale price of commercial real estate will go up when you have an advanced security system like this already in place for future owners!
Exterior Perimeter Protection
It’s worth erecting a fence or some other type of perimeter protection around the outside of your commercial investment. Why? Because this acts as another deterrent for would-be thieves or vandals. It’s too much effort to try and break through a fence or scale a wall to then get to your property.
Moreover, exterior perimeter protection protects against unexpected threats - like vehicles or objects hitting your building. You never know what might happen, and a car or van could spin out on the road and head to your property. Fencing will slow down the car and stop it from hitting the building itself, minimizing any potential property damage.
This security feature only makes sense when you own a lot of land around your commercial building. E.g. The property comes with a parking lot or exterior space. This way, you can build a perimeter around everything you own and keep it nicely protected.
Metal Shutters
Vandalism is a major concern for all commercial real estate owners. All it takes is one disgruntled customer to turn against a business and decide to do something silly. The next thing you know, there’s a brick through the window and a problem to solve. Not to mention that windows are the easiest way to breach a property and steal what’s inside.
Protect your asset from harm by installing metal shutters on all of the ground-floor windows. You should absolutely do this if you invested in a high-street property. If lots of people walk passed the property every day, then you need reinforced shutters to go down at night and protect the building.
It’ll save you loads of money in potential repairs, which protects your investment. Commercial tenants will also feel much safer in your building, so they’re more likely to hang around and take out long-term contracts. From an investment standpoint, that’s exactly what you’re looking for to boost ROI.
An On-Site Security Team
You need a physical security presence to man your commercial property 24/7. Hire an on-site security team to work in your building and keep an eye on everything. This will do wonders for the property’s safety and security, reducing the chances of break-ins and vandalism.
Security teams can do multiple jobs while working in your building, such as screening people who walk in, keeping an eye out for loiterers outside, and manning the fort overnight or on weekends.
Don’t Underestimate The Value Of Good Security For Commercial Real Estate
Commercial property investments are only worth it when you get the most out of them. This is easier said than done, especially if you’re not taking security seriously. As the property owner, it’s your responsibility to utilize and install the security features mentioned above. Preventing break-ins and stopping vandalism are both extremely beneficial to your overall investment gains for multiple reasons.
One, as noted earlier, it stops you from spending loads of extra money repairing your commercial property over the years. Secondly, it makes your property more attractive to everyone. You’ll reel in more tenants because businesses want to rent a safe place. This creates a bigger demand for your property, allowing for higher rental charges to maximize your income.
When you eventually sell your investment, it’ll be worth way more because good security features kept it in excellent condition and make it more valuable to future investors.
