Necessity is not only the mother of invention, but also rapid adoption. There’s no question the events of the past two years have had an impact on all of us. During these unprecedented times, businesses have had to pivot, re-think and re-create their business models. The multifamily industry has definitely not been immune. Take self-guided tours, for example.
What was once just an innovative dream has quickly become a necessity. Today, agentless tours are becoming part of the norm. So much so, in fact, that a RentCafe survey found that out of the 3,500 Americans they asked, 83% would still use a self-guided tour to shop for a future home in spite of the number of virtual tours that are available. Their main reason for doing so is for the ability to tour a model unit at their own pace and without an agent to chaperone, often after-hours.
The Security Risk of the Self-Guided Tour
While self-guided tours have shown great results on leasing and reducing labor expenses, they give non-residents access to the property without supervision. This has the potential for criminal exploitation; model units often have items such as refreshments, furnishings, TVs, and other electronic devices that can be stolen or misused.
If your community provides self-guided tours, or if you are thinking about implementing them, there are several questions you should consider:
- How can we ensure our current residents are protected during after-hours tours?
- What is the best way to protect our model unit from damages or theft?
- Do we have recorded video of each visit?
- What is the most economical way to supervise visitors to ensure safety?
- Who will alert the police if something goes wrong?
Three Words: Live Video Monitoring
The answer to each of these questions can be summed up in three words – live video monitoring. Live video monitoring is a proactive security solution designed to help prevent damage and crimes before they happen. Rather than wait for alarms to sound, trained security professionals monitor analytics-based cameras to watch for and evaluate suspicious activity in real time.
The Stealth solution is uniquely designed for multifamily communities with high-traffic common areas like parking garages, lobbies, mail rooms, laundry facilities, fitness centers, corridors and those expensive model units.
Let’s say someone on an after-hours, self-guided tour decides to help themself to a TV from the model. Let’s also assume this property uses a security guard or courtesy patrol that is on the other side of the property. This “potential renter” could easily walk out of the unit completely unseen.
If that same community were using Stealth’s live video monitoring solution, things would likely be much different. Our operators would be able to quickly assess the situation and take action. This could mean activating an on-site speaker to warn the suspects they are being watched and calling the police.
Because our video provides verification of a crime taking place, our calls typically get elevated to the top of the priority list and officers are often on the scene while the suspects are still there…or at least in the area. Unlike a security guard or courtesy patrol who can only be in one place at a time, we have eyes all across your property. Not to mention, our solution can save you up to 60 percent on your security expenses.
Contact us and let us help secure your self-guided tour path and model unit after hours with the most comprehensive multifamily security solution to save you money, time, and frustration.
