Once a building is empty, nobody notices a forced door, a dripping pipe or a pile of dumped rubbish until someone goes to look. Vacant property security, sometimes called void or empty property security, puts that someone on a schedule.
Void properties attract attention for predictable reasons. There is nobody inside to disturb an intruder, copper and fittings can be stripped and sold, and a building that looks neglected invites vandalism, arson, rough sleeping and squatting.
Being empty does not end the owner's obligations. Under the Occupiers' Liability Act 1984, an occupier can owe a duty of care to trespassers where they know, or have reasonable grounds to believe, that a danger exists and that someone may come near it. Waste fly-tipped on private land is normally for the landowner or occupier to clear, not the council. Squatting in a residential building has been a criminal offence in England and Wales since 2012, but in commercial premises it is usually a civil matter, so removing occupiers can mean court proceedings. Early detection costs far less than any of these outcomes.
Insurance adds another layer. Many commercial policies treat a building as unoccupied after around 30 days, and cover can narrow or come with extra conditions from that point. Regular internal and external inspections with a written record are a common requirement, often weekly. Wording varies, so check your own policy or ask your broker. We will build the inspection schedule around it.
Most empty buildings need a combination rather than one service. Scheduled inspections are the baseline. Mobile patrols add unpredictable out-of-hours visits, a mobile CCTV tower or remote CCTV monitoring watches the site between them, and manned guarding puts an officer on site when the risk is high, such as after a break-in. If you are choosing between patrols and a static officer, our comparison of manned guarding vs mobile patrols sets out the trade-offs.
