Vacant property has its own set of unique challenges and risks. In the UK alone you would find around 9000 cases of fires each year in unoccupied properties. Along with this, there are numerous cases of property damages, stealing of content and fixtures and properties that are victim to vandalism, fly-tipping and illegal occupation by squatters or travellers.
Vacant Property Compliance Standards, Regulations, and Ethical Practices
Water damage is also a risk, especially if maintenance and repairs aren’t up to the mark. Employees, estate agents, surveyors, purchasers, tradesmen, trespassers, and even youngsters who elect to use the property as a playground have a legal responsibility to protect the safety of other parties entering the premises.
As a result, landlords need to adhere to the vacant property compliance standards, regulations, and ethical practices to protect their business properties when vacant. This by far and large also demonstrates that a landlord follows all the ethical practices and conducts itself correctly in front of the public. These rules and regulations, especially in the area of health and safety, have had and will continue to have an impact on, if not save, people’s lives, and should never be disregarded as petty or inconsequential.
Vacant Property Compliance service is chiefly made up of the following two areas:
Site monitoring and clearance |
Shergroup’s experienced Vacant Property Compliance department provides professional site monitoring and clearing services to businesses operating out of industrial sites. We are well-positioned to assist with the removal of combustible materials, as well as the hiring of a contractor to remove hazardous materials such as asbestos.
We can conduct thorough risk assessments of locations as part of our site monitoring service to verify they are fully compliant with the appropriate amount of insurance coverage. We can also ensure that your locations are safe and secure, both for your personnel as they go about their everyday tasks and for criminal activities such as theft and vandalism.
Temporary monitored alarms |
Criminal behaviour is more likely to take place on an empty property or industrial site than on one that is occupied. As a result, if you are the owner of such a location, you should take efforts to assure its safety. Shergroup’s monitored alarm system is designed to address this issue. For vacant homes, a temporary monitored alarm system provides versatile and cost-effective protection. Alarms that are monitored enable for continuous monitoring of both internal and external regions of a facility, as well as the capacity to focus on specific areas of interest, such as important plant and equipment. Monitored alarms are a cost-effective approach to ensure the safety and security of your vacant homes because they are often rented rather than purchased outright, and there are various contract lengths available.
According to insurance companies and agents who provide insurance for vacant properties when assessing the risk for a particular property the owners need to consider the following |
Locality |
- What is the crime like in the area?
- Who is the site likely to attract? e.g., youths, vagrants, or squatters
- Is the site secluded or isolated?
- What is in place to deter access or entry? e.g., lights, fencing, nearby occupancy
Management |
- Make someone responsible for each premises
- Ensure each premise is routinely inspected
- Remove graffiti and posters
- Record and control the issue of keys
- Ensure all utility services (gas, water, electricity) are turned off and/or drained-down
- Keep the site looking like its being cared-for and maintained
- Correct type and value of Unoccupied Premises insurance is in place
Health & Safety and Public Liability |
(Risk of injury to third parties)
- Broken, weak or loose walls
- Rubbish, glass, or piles of rubble
- Protruding nails and jagged edges
- Risk of falling objects from roofs or other overhead structures
- How easy is it to access the roof/s?
- Are the roofs made of light sheeting through which people could fall?
- Will visitors need torches?
- Should visitors enter alone?
- Are there missing or damaged stairs, rails, and floors?
- Is there any live exposed or damaged electrical wiring or fittings?
- Will guards or other authorised users need access to basic welfare facilities such as water, toilets, lighting, and heating?
Security |
- Ensure perimeter fences/gates are in good order
- All doors, windows, and any other accessible openings (roof hatches, skylights) are protected and secured
- Replace all locks and account for all keys (insurance requirement)
- An approved intruder alarm is installed, working, and maintained
- Mobile security guarding service is in place
- All rubbish and other combustible items, both internally and externally are removed
- Any new rubbish dumped/fly-tipped is regularly removed
- The property’s letterbox is fixed in the closed position
- Existing sprinkler systems should be operational and correctly working
- The existing fire alarm should be in full security
- Ensure perimeter fences/gates are in good order
- All doors, windows and any other accessible openings (roof hatches, skylights) are protected and secured
- Replace all locks and account for all keys (insurance requirement)
- An approved intruder alarm is installed, working and maintained
- Mobile security guarding service is in place
- All rubbish and other combustible items, both internally and externally are removed
- Any new rubbish dumped/fly-tipped is regularly removed
- The property’s letterbox is fixed in the closed position
- Existing sprinkler systems should be operational and correctly working
- The existing fire alarm should be in full working order
Summing-up
Regular property inspections give you a heads-up on any potential problems before they become serious. A comprehensive report will aid the property owner in meeting insurance requirements. Shergroup offers a complete, professional, and routine Property Inspection service to ensure that your property is and stays insurance compliant. We also provide a range of security services from CCTV to monitored alarms and from manned security guarding to K9 security services for your vacant property security needs.
Talk to us now to find out how we can help you ensure your vacant property is insurance compliant before arranging insurance.
Please contact us via any of the following channels |
You can reach us |
By Phone | 0845 890 9200
Website | www.shergroup.com and you can chat to us from here
Email | [email protected]
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