You’d expect the problems property managers face in low-income multifamily developments to be much different than those of someone overseeing a luxury one. And you’d be right – to an extent. But there are more similarities between the two developments than you’d expect.
Issues like trespassing, conflict and unwelcome visitors are common to any multifamily unit. And the trouble spots where these occur generally remain consistent from location to location.
The challenge is how to monitor these multiple, dispersed locations simultaneously, in real-time, without incurring the expense of hiring numerous staff for coverage. Kastle’s Remote Video Guarding system can accomplish this by employing AI enabled video surveillance that triggers real time response from a Video Operations Center, helping protective staff both ward off trouble or react to it in a much quicker capacity, all while offering cost savings to the property.
You might be surprised where trouble pops up. Here’s a quick look at four areas that frequently present security issues in multifamily units, such as apartment complexes and condo buildings:
Parking lots/garages
Whether they’ve got a high-end car or something that just gets the owner from Point A to Point B, motor vehicles are an essential part of many residents’ lives. They’re also magnets for thieves and vandals. Kastle’s Remote Video Guarding can improve your parking lot security by having remote operators watch multiple cameras, often alerting on-site personnel about potential issues in real time before damage or theft occurs. Remote Video operators can also verbally warn away potential bad actors using on-location audio and, when necessary, ensure law enforcement arrives as much as five times faster than an alert from an unverified alarm system.
Common spaces
Whether it’s a meeting room, a resident lounge, rooftops, decks, the pool or somewhere else, it’s inevitable that someone will try to slip into a common space when the area is closed. Most of the time it’s not for a nefarious reason, but it’s still something property and building managers strive to prevent to reduce liability or misuse. Kastle’s AI video surveillance alerts our operators when people enter these areas in time periods when no one is supposed to. It also monitors stairwells, which can be a hot bed of activity since they’re typically not heavily trafficked.
Bike storage
Thieves are nearly as enamored with bicycles as they are with motor vehicles. Whether a building has a bike storage locker or just a series of racks for tenants to use when they’re at home (or work), it’s critical to monitor those to prevent bicycle theft. Kastle’s Remote Video Patrols can offer an early alert to suspicious activity and AI video surveillance lets operators know when people are near the bicycle storage areas. This, by the way, is when video monitoring is critical, as people are able to gauge context. For instance, if someone is spending more than the usual amount of time in the area or returning several times, it’s an indication that something might be amiss.
Pets
Sometimes, keeping an eye on residents’ pets is about small infractions, such as them not cleaning up Fido’s waste. That’s a discourtesy to others and could be a health hazard, but it’s nothing on the same scale as car theft, physical altercations or trespassing. Video monitoring is often proactive in preventing these problems. A brief verbal warning to the owner after the animal has done its business can correct the owner’s behavior. But when there are more serious allegations, such as that of a pet attacking another person on the property, the video can be used forensically to determine exactly what happened.
These areas are, of course, on top of the usual security concerns of any multifamily housing unit, such as trespassing, potential burglars and staff infractions. A good video surveillance system makes existing human guards more effective and optimizes the costs. Kastle’s AI video cameras detect and sift through over 200 million videos per month to identify threats – large and small – ultimately making the jobs of property and building managers, as well as guard staff, much easier.