Safe neighborhoods are desirable, a safe AND desirable community is what every HOA strives to accomplish and maintain. While everyone knows living in a safe community is important, it isn’t always as easy to know how to make and keep a community safe. No matter where your community is located, the following tips are guaranteed to improve safety and hopefully deter would-be bad guys.
FIRST
Know your weak spots. Don’t let burglars be the only ones canvassing your community for weakness. Take the time to walk the community looking for overgrown landscaping, dark areas, unlit houses, unlocked gates, or broken security cameras. Getting together with your HOA management company to do regular walkthroughs of your community to find and reduce vulnerabilities will dramatically improve security. Once you’ve identified weak spots, correct them. Trim bushes, add lighting, and do whatever else you need to so that the bad guys don’t have a spot left to lurk.
SECOND
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Don’t assume that because you live in a gated community that you don’t need any other security measures. Using multiple methods of security is ideal. Consider gates, monitored security cameras, (make sure you read our next post on security cameras!), security guards, motion detected lights, and whatever else makes sense for your community. By leveraging multiple security tactics, you’re making your community less desirable for burglars and more desirable for homeowners.
THIRD
Enlist the help of residents. The best way to protect your community is the old fashion way – have neighbors watch out for each other. Burglars prey on neighborhoods where residents keep to themselves and aren’t looking out for one another. To build neighborhood camaraderie, host events where residents can mingle and build relationships. You can also encourage residents to set up an official neighborhood watch group that regularly paroles the community.
Related:Â Fiduciary Duty and Your HOA Board
At the end of the day, the best way to keep your community safe is to eliminate places for bad guys to lurk and to make sure residents are vigilant. Having a well-lit community with proper security measures that are in good working order (cameras that work and gates that lock, for example) will help ensure your community is safe and appealing for residents. If you have questions on how to secure your community, don’t hesitate to contact Spectrum. We would be happy to chat with you about the best security options for your HOA.
