Services
Vacant Property Security
Vacant property security for empty buildings, lots and homes between tenants or sales across the Bay Area and Monterey Bay: scheduled patrol checks, lock and door checks, break-in and squatting deterrence and photo reports to the owner.
Security for Empty Buildings, Lots and Homes
An empty property draws attention. With no one coming and going, a broken window or a forced door can sit unnoticed for days, long enough for someone to move in, strip wiring or start a fire. Vacant property security puts an officer’s eyes on the building on a schedule, so problems are found while they are still small.
Vantage covers office buildings between tenants, closed retail stores, warehouses waiting on a lease, homes listed for sale or held in an estate, open lots and buildings waiting on redevelopment.
Patrol Checks on a Schedule
Most vacant properties are covered by mobile patrol. An officer visits at varied times through the night and over weekends, walks the perimeter, checks the fence and gates and looks for signs of entry: pried doors, cut locks, fresh graffiti, or trash and bedding left by someone sleeping on the site.
The number of visits follows the property’s risk. A quiet home may need one or two checks a night, while a large building on a busy corridor, or one that has already seen break-ins, may call for more visits or a guard on site overnight.
Lock, Door and Window Checks
On each visit, the officer tries every exterior door and roll-up gate on the route, checks padlocks and chains, looks for broken or open windows and makes sure boards are still in place. Interior checks can be added where the owner provides access: the officer walks the floors, looks for water on the ground, checks that the alarm panel is set and locks back up.
When something has changed, the officer photographs it, secures what can be secured on the spot and calls the owner or manager on the call list, so a repair can be booked quickly.
Deterring Break-Ins and Squatting
Squatters and thieves look for a property no one is watching. Regular, unpredictable visits, a patrol vehicle in the lot and an officer walking the fence line show that the building is checked. The officer asks anyone found on the property to leave, notes the time and a description and reports it to the owner.
The first days after a property empties matter most. An on-site guard for the first weeks, then patrol checks once the building is secured and boarded, is a strong way to start.
Reports to the Owner
Every visit ends with a patrol report: the time on site, the route checked and photos of doors, locks and anything out of place. Owners, asset managers, lenders and listing agents get a running record of the property’s condition without driving out to look. When a buyer, lender or insurer asks how the property was watched while it sat empty, the dated photo record answers in one file.
Our guide to mobile patrol or an on-site guard helps owners choose between the two.
When a Guard on Site Makes Sense
Some vacant sites need an officer there through the night: a building with a history of entry, a site holding valuable equipment or a property in demolition or redevelopment. On-site security guards can hold a post at the gate or walk the site, with patrol visits covering the hours in between, and our fire watch service can be added during demolition or hot work.
Officers hold BSIS guard cards and clear background checks, supervisors make quality inspections of the route and the reports, and every owner receives a certificate of insurance. Service runs month to month, which suits a property waiting on a sale or a new tenant.
Vacant Property Security Pricing
Patrol visits are billed at $2 to $3 a minute on site with a five-minute minimum per visit, and on-site guards at $36 to $50 per guard-hour. The cost calculator shows a monthly range for your number of visits or guard hours.
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A few useful answers
Common questions
How many patrol visits does an empty building need?
Quiet homes are usually well served by one or two visits a night. Large buildings and sites with past break-ins call for more visits or an overnight guard.
What happens if the officer finds someone on the property?
The officer asks them to leave, records the time and a description, photographs any damage and calls the contact on your list.
Can the officer check inside the building too?
Yes. With keys or codes from the owner, interior checks cover the floors, signs of water, the alarm panel and locking back up.
Can coverage start as soon as a tenant moves out?
Yes. Patrol checks can begin the week a property empties, when the first days carry the most risk.
What does it cost to patrol a vacant property?
Patrol checks run $2 to $3 a minute with a five-minute minimum per visit, and on-site guards $36 to $50 per guard-hour. The cost calculator shows a monthly range.