If your building is empty, find out this week what is actually happening there. Not what the instruction says should happen, but who has been through the door, when, what they looked at and what they did about it. Put the six questions below to whoever is checking the property: a managing agent, a contractor, your own staff or a security firm.
This is not a list of what a good inspection covers. Our guide to what a vacant property inspection visit should cover does that. This article tests the arrangement you already have.
1. Can you see the last visit?
Ask for the most recent record. Look for a date and time, the name of whoever attended, which areas they reached and some photographs. A report that says "all fine" with nothing behind it is hard to rely on if something goes wrong later.
Armour's vacant property reports carry timestamps, photographs and findings, with the weather logged at the time of the visit, and they sit in a client portal so you can read them without chasing anyone. You should be able to see the same sort of thing from any provider.
2. Does the record show change over time?
One report gives you the state of the building on one day. Several in a row show whether a problem is getting worse. Lay the last few side by side. If a broken padlock, a damp patch or a pile of rubbish appears in each one, the checks are happening but nothing is being done with them.
3. Who holds the keys, and who can get in at night?
Many empty buildings are checked in daylight by someone with a key, and then nobody can attend if an alarm sounds at two in the morning. Find out where every set of keys is, who may use them, and what happens out of hours.
Controlled key storage and written site instructions are the basis of our keyholding and alarm response service. Guards attend, assess the property and record what they find. We do not assume the police will attend, so your plan should not either.
4. What happens when something is found?
A good check produces actions. Ask who is told, how quickly, and who authorises the repair, the boarding or the lock change. Write down which findings are urgent, such as an open door or an active leak, and which can wait for the next visit.
If the answer is "we would phone the owner", ask what happens when the owner does not pick up.
5. What is watching the building between visits?
A check is a snapshot. Between checks, nothing is looking unless you have added something, such as an alarm, a camera or both. If you are considering cameras, our vacant property CCTV page explains how video verification and remote viewing work. If you are weighing alarms first, decide who would act on an alert before you buy anything.
Our vacant property inspections include a free monitored video verification system (one camera), subject to terms.
6. Does the arrangement still fit the building?
Buildings change. A property that has been empty for a fortnight is not the same as one that has been empty for a year, and a shop that has just been vacated is different from a house awaiting sale. Ask whether the checks, the keys and the reporting were set up for the building as it is now, or as it was when the instruction was first given.
Ask, too, who reviews the arrangement, and when. If the answer is "nobody", pick a date.
A short test for today
Ask for the last report and read it as a stranger would. Confirm in writing who holds each key. Ask what the out-of-hours plan is for an alarm or a report of a break-in. Look for any problem that has appeared on more than one report. Then decide what you want to know between visits, and who should see it.
Our approach
Our vacant property services include inspections, controlled access and reporting that the owner can read for themselves. Our officers are SIA licensed individually, and any company-level status is confirmed in writing on request. We are based in Southend and routinely cover South Essex. Other sites are reviewed individually.
Vacant property inspection visits are quoted for each job, so there is no list price to quote here. For a second opinion on how an empty building is being checked, read about our vacant property services and tell us the property type, how long it will be empty and who currently holds the keys. You can also call us on 01702 416201.