A building is never more at risk than when nobody is using it. Whether it is an office between tenants, a shop that has closed, a unit waiting for sale or a property held for redevelopment, an empty building attracts trouble, and because nobody is there, the trouble is found late.

What goes wrong in empty buildings

  • Metal theft. Copper pipe, cable, lead and boilers are stripped out, often causing far more damage than the value of what is taken.
  • Break-ins and vandalism. Broken windows and graffiti signal that nobody is watching, and invite more of the same.
  • Unlawful occupation. Removing people who have moved into a building can be slow and expensive.
  • Illegal dumping. Yards and car parks fill with waste that the owner must pay to remove.
  • Fire. Arson and fires started by trespassers are a serious risk in vacant property.
  • Water damage. A leak or a burst pipe can run for weeks before anybody notices.

Start with your insurer

Tell your insurer or broker as soon as a property becomes vacant. Many policies reduce cover or set conditions once a building has been empty for a period. Typical conditions include regular recorded inspections, removal of waste, and turning off or draining utilities. Policies differ, so read yours: if a condition is not met, a claim may be refused.

Secure the building

  • Change the locks if keys have been in circulation, and keep a list of who holds each key.
  • Secure every door, window, roof light and hatch, including those at the back and on upper floors.
  • Fit letterbox seals so that post does not pile up and nothing can be pushed through.
  • Close and lock gates; block vehicle access to yards and car parks where possible.
  • For longer periods or higher-risk buildings, consider steel screens on ground-floor openings.

Make it look looked-after

  • Remove anything of value, and anything that will burn, from inside and outside.
  • Keep the grounds tidy and remove graffiti and dumped waste quickly.
  • Redirect post and clear what does arrive.
  • Keep external lighting working.
  • Display the signs of the security company that looks after the property.

Deal with the utilities

Turn off the water and drain the system if the building will be empty over winter, unless the heating or a sprinkler system must stay live. Turn off gas, and isolate electrical circuits that are not needed. Keep power to the alarm, the fire detection and any cameras.

Keep the alarms working

An intruder alarm and fire detection are only useful if somebody responds. Keep the monitoring contract in place and make sure the key holder list is current. When a tenant leaves, their staff usually leave the key holder list with them. A key holding service fills that gap. Our article on what happens when a business alarm goes off explains why it matters.

Inspect regularly, and record it

A regular inspection is the single most useful measure for a vacant building, and it is usually what insurers ask for. A proper inspection covers:

  • the outside: doors, windows, roof line, fences, gates and signs of entry;
  • the inside: every floor, for leaks, damage, signs of occupation and fire risks;
  • the alarm panel, for faults;
  • post, waste and anything dumped.

Each inspection should be written up with the date, the time and photographs, so that you can show your insurer it was done. Between inspections, mobile patrol visits at varied times show anybody watching that the building is being looked after.

When to step up the security

Add monitored cameras or a guard when there has already been an incident, when the building contains plant or fittings of high value, when strip-out or demolition work is about to begin, or when the property is in an area where other vacant buildings have been targeted.

We provide vacant property inspections, patrols, key holding and alarm response in Dublin and across Ireland. Contact us for a plan for your property.