Personal Safety

An apartment manager in a small town 15 miles from me was robbed. I've attached a link to the story in our local newspaper. This is probably a good time of year to visit personal safety while on the property. What steps do you take on a daily basis to protect yourself against crime?



www.heraldonline.com/2012/10/09/4325645/...omni_popular#wgt=pop

I was at a property once (as a temp) where I was also held up at gunpoint..... Old owner was willing to accept cash for rent payment (WTH was he thinking??); new owner stepped in and wasn't playing that game. Unfortunately for me, the fact that the old owner accepted cash was not a secret; and the fact that a new owner stepped in had not gotten out yet.....

Anyway; I was alone in the office (not normally a problem) and it was near the end of the day. I had just copied and organized the checks received for the day; placing the checks in the safe and the copies on the manager's desk for the next morning. A team of 2 came in and searched my desk drawers and my pockets (my wallet was in a locked closet elsewhere) and left; but not before me telling them there was no money in the office (I didn't even have any on ME yet). After they confirmed what I had told them; one of them struck me on the back of the head with his pistol grip and left empty handed.

I called 911, the site manager, then my agency while waiting for police to arrive. Before my next shift, the owner had hired a security agency that was all retired law enforcement and all licensed for concealed weapons. The first guy that showed up was this huge guy (picture Shaquille ONeal when he was playing for Orlando, but about 2 feet shorter with 100 lbs more weight)... He introduced himself as 'Goliath'.... It was not a nickname.

For that reason; I never keep cash (or even unprocessed checks) in the office whenever possible. I even leave my wallet locked and hidden in my car!

The most vulnerable offices are those where the person working is located in the back, with no window to the entrance of the building, and where only one person is working at any given time. Some things can be done, of course, to minimize the impact of being alone in the Leasing Office, but if it's a 1-person set-up, you may always be at some risk.

Start with having a Safety Plan in place: change your set-up so that you can see the entrance. Install an automatic door chime, so every time the door opens, you at least hear it. Some offices will tell the Leasing Person to lock the door if they need to go to the restroom even, simply because if you are alone and leave to use the restroom, someone could walk in and you may not know it. Many Leasing Offices post signage that states No Cash is accepted or kept on the premises. Nowadays, some companies encourage on-line and credit/debit card payments. Some Leasing Offices change their hours of operation, especially for tours, seasonally. Using radios with the Maintenance Team and having a code word to shout if there is a problem works, too.

There should be a written policy regarding proper safety procedures. However, people who work alone should be extra vigilant about their own safety. All personnel should be trained on what to do as well. No one ever thinks they'll need to use 9-1-1 until they need it and get all flustered and just don't remember! It is kind of like having a fire escape plan - write it, post it, and practice it. A lot of times just going to the bank to make a deposit could put you at risk. I have always changed that up and have learned not to go at the same time each day. When walking on site, managers should always be aware. Some properties are actually divided by a busy street. Take care not to walk alone at night without telling someone where you are going on the property and it is a good idea to check in with Maintenance when you get to your destination. I will tell you, I have never had a maintenance team that minded checking on the Office team during the day and especially toward the end of the day before everyone is scheduled to leave.

In that same thought, IF you are the only one in an Office and your Maintenance Techs leave an hour before you close your office for the day, you need to discuss with your Corporate Office whether this is prudent if your property is in a high crime area and you have no Courtesy Officers. Always carry a cell phone (that has charge left on the battery) with you when walking onsite, day or night.

Practicing what you would do in an emergency, is very important and it should be a part of every training protocol for every property.

Thanks, Mindy.... But the issue was in my case that the transfer of ownership had happened that week and was not timed in such a way as to NOT coincide when rents were to be collected. NONE of those systems had been put into place, but were in process at the time.

Since then, I have been on properties that processed checks onsite with a desktop scanner that allowed me to process these once per day and electronically deposit the funds; voiding checks upon process completion. I also suggest properties use prepaid debit cards in place of 'petty cash' if the property is in a high crime area with no place to securely store actual cash.

No, I understand you were there and it was your first day. You ha d no way of knowing that would happen. Good thing you were not seriously hurt. Brings up another whole issue of risk management and liability.

I don't remember if it was my first day, but it WAS certainly within the first week of the transfer.

Funny this should come up...I'm a board member on out local Apartment Safety Coalition through the police department. This past Wed. I scheduled a meeting where the guest speaker was a local police officer who discussed personal safety. Many police departments offer seminars to real estate agents regarding safety, but property management personnel is often overlooked. I encourage everyone to check with their local police to see if they offer this service. Even if you don't have a coalition like ours you can have them come directly to your property and speak one on one with your staff (all of your staff not just the office team).

Several years ago our PMC suffered loss of life and several injuries when a mental patient decided to kill himself and take as many others as he could with him. There have also been several instances of on-call maintenance being robbed. My last property was a high crime community and my maintenance personnel asked if they could bring a gun when coming out at night. While I didn't say yes, I did tell them that as long as they had a right to carry as a citizen I wasn't going to tell them what they could or couldn't have in their vehicle. I have a permit to carry concealed and I'll leave it at that...

On a side note I wasn't able to attend the meeting on Wed. so I sent my leasing consultant. She called to tell me that one of the officers told her he has reason to believe one of us is being stalked. He couldn't say for sure which of us...Having spent so many years on tough properties I'm usually hyper aware of my surroundings and I haven't noticed anything.

You know it is a bad sign when staff needs to be licensed to carry concealed weapons and fitted for body armor......... :laugh:

I'm usually in the office by myself and have a front view of everyone that comes to my door (which I keep locked). I don't open my door to anyone I don't know.

I mean no disrespect. but how does one not have an open Leasing Office - is your property not a conventional property or are you in a different kind of business? I don't understand how one would have a Prospect knock on the door to get leasing information.

I think the original poster was referring to personal safety when it is late in the day or they are alone in the office.

Johnny, I was specifically asking the person who posted prior to my response, not the original poster, Sandy. When someone works in a 1-person office, there are safety measures one can take; however, if that person is a leasing person working alone at the end of the day, I am unclear the thought process of locking the office to Prospects. I just wondered about that. This time of year many offices change their hours of operation and times for tours to avoid the appearance of being unwelcoming to the general public.

Wow, scary stuff!

Being 4'9" and 100lbs means I have to be a little hypersensitive about safety. (My staff calls this "paranoid.") :laugh:

Fortunately though, my appearance belies the fact that I can most likely outrun an attacker, and most criminals are not fitness enthusiasts.

We used to change our office hours seasonally so we would only be open during daylight, but this caused frustration to residents so we shortened our hours open to the public but remain open the extra time for for residents. My office has two entrances, one to the outside of the building that is unlocked during office hours, and one on the inside of the buildings that only residents have access to.

Since my office is by the front door, and most of my residents know me, the window of opportunity here is very slim. I also keep my Sheriff's office certifications and safety training certificates on the wall right behind my desk, so if anyone is scouting a place to rob, they'll be discouraged.