How to Choose the Right Access Control for Your Building

Security is everything in the world we live in today and as the owner of a property, you’re going to need to make some decisions between the available access control models to find one that’s right for you. Whether your property is a residential or commercial building, safety and security are just a couple of the major concerns that you need to think about.

If you’re the owner of a property with multiple occupants, access control can pose a real challenge. Each tenant’s needs should be met, they all need to have the ability to manage their access control while at the same time maintaining a high level of security and retaining overall control as the property owner. How can a property entrance be both inviting and protected? How can you meet the needs now while also preparing for changes and different needs in the future?

What is Access Control?

Access control involves the process of restricting access to a place or resource while also allowing ones with the correct credentials to be able to access the places that they are entitled to. Types of access control are wide and varied and have developed massively over the years and technology begins to play a larger role in the field of security. In some cases, personnel play the part of physical access control in the form of doormen, guards, receptionists, bouncers etc. Infrastructure such as turnstiles and fences can restrict access in a literal sense, while many buildings achieve security by mechanical means. These include things like locks and keys, fingerprint scanners, passcodes, key fobs, or smart cards. In a society where threats can take on any form, in any location, it’s essential that there is some form of access control in place when it comes to residential buildings housing multiple tenants. A staggering 75% of homeowners have no home security system in place at all – don’t let your property become part of that statistic.

What Threatens Your Building?

There are many common security issues that frequently plague apartment buildings and knowing them is key to preparing for them.

1. Theft. Many apartment complexes are dealing with the growing problems of vehicle and property theft. In a busy building, it’s not always easy to spot a potential thief. When vehicles are parked in an open car parking lot, rather than a personal driveway or locked garage, they can attract the attention of criminals looking for an easy target.
2. Break-Ins. A study was done in 2017 that revealed over 1.7 million burglaries happened in the US during that year alone. Of those 1.7 million burglaries, almost half a million happened during the day. 75 per cent of US homes will be broken into over the next 20 years and over half of home burglaries are repeated within the next six weeks. With these worrying figures in mind, you want to provide the most secure housing for your tenants. If break-ins occur, even just in the same neighbourhood, tenants won’t feel safe. If they don’t feel safe, they won’t stay in your building.
3. Vandalism. Vandalism is an expensive crime to be the victim of. Graffiti, broken equipment, damaged property after an attempted break-in – all these incidents can become pricey to repair. If vandalism is a common occurrence, the costs start to add up quickly. Not only is vandalism damaging to your property and your pocket, it has a big impact on the mental health of your tenants. If they are noticing and worrying about the vandalising property they see, they will begin to lose their feeling of safety and security at home.
4. Loitering and trespassing. These are continuous problems for many apartment complexes. When there is a suspicious person on the premises, it generates an atmosphere of unrest and anxiety for the tenants of the property. If they need to navigate through a crowd of loitering men or spot an unwelcome visitor regularly taking shelter in the apartment lobby, they will begin to feel unsafe in their own homes. As the owner of the building, it’s your responsibility to take any security measures needed to create a more peaceful environment and get rid of any uninvited guests.
5. Tailgating. Having a gated entry is excellent protection against unauthorised visitors, however, tailgating through the entrance is another common problem for buildings with this facility. An unknown individual or vehicle may be waiting for someone to enter the property and, by closely following behind them, use their security clearance to gain entry. This introduces considerably more security risks to those residents.
6. Lawsuits from wrongful accusations. Dealing with the residents is not always an easy task. If someone were to make a claim against you as the property owner, it’s only your word against theirs when it comes to fighting it. With the right security measures in place, you can prepare for this and have the facilities in place to provide evidence of the truth.

How to Prepare and Protect

Evidently, the threats to apartment building security are wide and varied. You may not be able to look into the future and predict the kind of threat you will face, but you can take the necessary steps to provide for the needs of your building and show your desire to look after your tenants. Look for a system that is specifically designed for multi-tenant use that also gives you a separate system as the landlord. Find an option that will integrate with the other systems you have in place, like lift controls and visitor management systems – systems that work together will make your life a whole lot easier. You want an option that is easy to use so that you can improve your efficiency without cutting corners when it comes to safety. As we don’t know what the future will hold, it’s good to find a system that is futureproofed, with the ability to be scaled up and developed as your needs change.