Vacant Property Security

An empty building still carries its owner’s risk. With no one inside, a forced door, a burst pipe or a small fire can go unnoticed for days. McCray provides vacant property security for owners, asset managers, lenders and receivers who need a building kept closed, checked and documented until it is leased, sold, redeveloped or demolished.

Properties Covered

McCray provides security for vacant and closed properties, including:

• Vacant office and commercial buildings
• Closed and dark retail stores
• Properties awaiting sale or redevelopment
• Foreclosed and bank-owned homes
• Vacant residential and multifamily buildings
• Former warehouse and industrial sites
• Spaces between tenants

Why Empty Buildings Draw Problems

The U.S. Fire Administration treats an unoccupied building as vacant when its owner is interested in the property and easily contacted, and as abandoned when there is no owner or the landlord is absent. Either way, an empty building with no one checking on it is exposed to the same set of problems:

• Trespass and squatting
• Theft of copper pipe, wiring and fixtures
• Vandalism and graffiti
• Arson and accidental fire
• Water damage from leaks and frozen pipes
• Illegal dumping

Fire is the most serious of these. A U.S. Fire Administration report on vacant residential building fires, based on 2006 to 2008 data, estimated that 28,000 such fires were reported to U.S. fire departments each year, about 7 percent of all residential building fires. Intentional fires were the leading cause, at 37 percent. The same report estimated 45 deaths, 225 injuries and $900 million in property loss each year. USFA guidance states that keeping unauthorized occupants out of vacant and abandoned buildings is key to preventing fires, and that boarded buildings are very difficult to enter when the boarding is done correctly and coupled with surveillance.

Without regular visits, theft and water damage in an empty building may not be found until long after they began. Scheduled checks shorten that window and give the owner a record of when a condition first appeared.

Static Posts, Mobile Patrol and Remote Video Monitoring

Many vacant property programs combine all three. Cameras cover the hours between visits, patrol officers confirm conditions in person, and a static officer is added during cleanouts, demolition preparation or a run of break-ins. A security risk assessment sets the mix for each building, and coverage can be scaled down as the property is secured or scaled up when activity increases.

Inspection and Reporting

Each property receives written Post Orders that list what officers check, how often, and who is called when something is wrong. Typical checkpoints include:

• Doors, locks and roll-down gates
• Boarded windows and openings
• Signs of forced entry or occupancy
• Roof hatches and fire escapes
• Leaks, standing water and mold
• Utility meters and exposed wiring
• Graffiti, debris and dumping
• Posted signage and notices

Each visit is recorded with a time stamp and GPS verification of the officer’s location. Conditions that need action are photographed and escalated to the owner’s designated contact under the steps in the Post Orders. Over the course of a vacancy, those records give owners, lenders, insurers and buyers a dated history of the property’s condition.

Fire Watch When Systems Are Impaired

Vacant buildings often have sprinkler or alarm systems that are shut down, drained for winter or awaiting repair. In New York City, FDNY study material for the Citywide Fire Guard for Impairment (F-01) Certificate of Fitness states that a fire watch must be maintained in any occupancy where a required fire protection system is out of service. Where the affected area is 50,000 square feet or less, the impairment coordinator or a trained person designated by the building owner may perform the watch for the first 4 hours. After that, only fire guards holding the F-01 certificate may patrol, and no single fire guard may cover more than 50,000 square feet. The entire building must be checked at least once every hour, and the fire watch record, signed by the fire guard, must be kept on the premises for at least 3 years.

Other jurisdictions set their own rules, and owners should confirm them with the local fire authority. McCray provides fire watch officers for these assignments. A fire watch does not replace a working fire protection system or the owner’s duty to restore it.

Insurance and Code Considerations

Vacancy can change how a property is insured. The Insurance Information Institute notes that most homeowners insurance policies include a vacancy clause that limits or excludes coverage when a property is unoccupied, typically for 30 to 60 consecutive days, and that many standard policies exclude or limit theft and vandalism coverage once a home is deemed vacant. In a 2009 circular letter to insurers writing homeowners policies, New York insurance regulators (now the Department of Financial Services) cited the standard fire policy in Insurance Law § 3404, which excludes losses while a building is vacant or unoccupied beyond 60 consecutive days, and noted that ISO Form HO 3 excludes glass breakage after more than 60 days of vacancy and vandalism after more than 30 days. Owners should review vacancy terms with their broker before a building empties. Security records can support that conversation, but they do not change policy terms.

Local rules may also govern how a building is closed up. In New York City, 1 RCNY § 3-01 applies to buildings that are vacant, unguarded and open to unauthorized entry and that must be sealed under a Department of Buildings unsafe building order or a Department of Housing Preservation and Development determination. It requires exterior openings in the cellar, basement and first story, and those less than ten feet from grade, to be sealed (with concrete block or stucco on plywood in masonry buildings, and with plywood or stucco on plywood in others). Steam, electric, gas and water service must be discontinued, and rubbish, decomposable debris and any materials that could cause a fire or explosion must be removed before sealing.

Screening, Training and Supervision

Officers complete a five-stage screening process and tier-based training before assignment, including de-escalation and, for retail posts, organized retail crime recognition. Supervisors make unannounced site visits, and the McCray Operations Desk answers 24/7/365. Incidents are documented on scene, time-stamped and GPS-verified.

Common Questions

What does vacant property security include?

It can include a static officer, mobile patrol visits, remote video monitoring, fire watch, or a combination. Each program covers deterring entry, checking the building against written Post Orders, documenting conditions with photos and escalating problems to the owner’s contact.

Is a security guard or mobile patrol better for a vacant building?

Mobile patrol fits most smaller, well-secured properties and portfolios of several sites. A static officer is the better choice for large buildings, sites with repeated break-ins or squatting, and properties with regular contractor or broker traffic that needs controlled access.

How often should a vacant property be checked?

There is no single standard. Frequency depends on the building, its location, its history of entry and any conditions set by an insurer, lender or fire authority. McCray sets visit frequency in each property’s Post Orders and can vary visit times so that anyone watching the building cannot predict them.

Does insurance cover a vacant building?

Coverage depends on the policy. Many property policies contain vacancy clauses that limit or exclude certain losses after a building has been empty for a set period, as described above. Owners should confirm the terms with their broker or carrier and ask whether a vacancy endorsement or separate vacant property policy is needed.

Can security officers remove squatters?

Officers deter entry, document signs of occupancy and contact law enforcement. They do not physically remove anyone unless both the law and the Post Orders authorize it. Owners should consult counsel about removing a person who claims a right to remain in the property.

When does a vacant building need a fire watch?

In New York City, FDNY requires a fire watch whenever a required fire protection system, such as sprinklers or a fire alarm, is out of service, as described above. Elsewhere, owners should confirm requirements with the local fire authority. See the fire watch services page for details on coverage.