Stuart Woolgar, CEO, Global Guardians Management
Public sector-owned properties come in all shapes and sizes. From flats and houses to libraries and care homes, these buildings serve the local community in a variety of ways. While many of these properties provide a place for local residents to read, receive medical care or rest into their senior years, all buildings will at some point likely undergo renovation, repurposing or redevelopment to make way for new services or homes.
When a building no longer has a tenant, such as a local charity or NHS trust, it automatically becomes vulnerable and can very quickly decline into being unused and unloved. These empty properties cause stress and financial strain on their owners with escalating fees associated with the building’s security and management.
Security guards might be selected to protect the site; however, they are not wholly effective in protecting large developments and can be particularly expensive to employ. This money could be better used by the public sector body to pay for the wages of doctors and nurses, for the development of new homes or for the renovation of the buildings that service the community.
Leaving disused buildings empty and inadequately protected is another possible option, but these unprotected voids can often cause concern among the local residents, especially when the properties attract antisocial behaviour.
Properties that fall within regeneration schemes can be even more difficult to manage without expert help, given the increased social impact of decanting a block or entire housing estate. It becomes more critical that the right solution is selected to manage and secure these types of properties in order to avoid additional stress on local residents and increased issues associated with these sites.
So, what is the solution? Security by occupation.
Global Guardians offers public sector property owners peace of mind, visibility and control of their assets to reduce stress and help achieve a better result for the local community. Our security by occupation services, which are derived from BS 8584:2015 (the British Standard for Vacant Property Protection) have assisted several London and Royal borough councils, NHS trusts and G15 housing associations to lower stress, minimise costs and better serve local constituents.
If you represent a public sector body and are in the dark when it comes to your void property security and management, call Global Guardians on 0203 818 9100 or visit global-guardians.co.uk. Our team of experts are here to help.