The holidays are excellent opportunities for travelling to see family and friends.
According to AAA, over 100 million people were thought to travel for the holiday season in 2018. Indeed, almost 60 million people traveled for the 2019 Thanksgiving holiday.
This also means that millions upon millions of people will leave their homes “vacant” for some part of the holiday season. Unfortunately, these happy times bring an unwanted risk—crime.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 2018 Uniform Crime Report, the number of property crimes was estimated to exceed seven million offenses, with burglary and motor vehicle theft accounting for 17.1% and 10.4% of these crimes, respectively.
But, there are steps that you can take to ensure that your property stays safe—whether you are a property manager, home-owner, or tenant. We have done some research to compile some safety-related tips.
Property Managers
Property managers, you can take a step to remind your tenants to be mindful about the potential risks of leaving their residences unoccupied. Simply distributing a flyer to tenants reminding them of such risks can generate awareness and prompt them to take the necessary steps to protect their belongings and more.
Need help creating one? No worries. Many police and sheriff departments across the U.S.—such as the Seattle Police Department and Miami Springs Police Department—provide information on strategies for preventing residential crime.
For example, the Metropolitan Police Department makes available a brochure on its website that can be distributed to tenants (although, asking permission to distribute the brochures may be a good step to take beforehand).
Alternatively, creating a flyer simply reminding tenants of crime risks—and providing them with directions/web links for reaching the anti-residential crime section of the police/sheriff department website can serve the same function.
Additionally, you can contact your state real estate commission/department to see if they have any guidance on how to inform residents of potential risks.
Tenants
If you are a tenant of a multifamily residence and are reading this blog article, below are just some actions you can take to ensure the safety of your castle.
For example, you can do your part to make sure that your immediate community of fellow tenants is safe. Looking for issues in the apartment complex—like light bulbs that are not working—and reporting such issues to management will ensure that there is sufficient lighting.
For your personal property, you can take actions such as keeping your home and car doors locked at all times.
Moreover, if you see something, say something. Reporting suspicious behavior can serve as a preventative step to potential residential crimes.
Enjoy the Holidays
Here at Designated Broker Solutions, we wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season.
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