If you own a rental property with on-site laundry for tenants, you should be evaluating your building’s security on a regular basis. Security is a prominent factor in the minds of people who need to do laundry late at night or during times when the building is mostly unoccupied. Here are five ways to improve your apartment laundry security.
Never Use a Master Key
If your machines take coins, then you’ve probably wondered how you can prevent theft on the property. While it’s rare that someone would come in with a crowbar and try to steal coins by force, it is a bit easier for someone to unlock the coin repository if they have the right key. To make this process less convenient, don’t use the same key for every machine.
Implement Room Access Controls
One of the best ways to keep tenants safe is to make sure guests and strangers do not have access to the laundry room. Card keys are the most effective because people can’t give out copies like they can with codes and mechanical keys.
Utilize Security Cameras
Another way to improve your apartment laundry security is to always have security cameras monitoring the room. Be sure to place the cameras so you can view all parts of the room since tall machines may get in the way of a single camera. Having cameras not only records evidence you may need to provide in court someday, but it also deters criminals because they know they’re on camera.
Install Emergency Contact Devices
Emergency phones or buttons that call the police can be a good option to install if you want to make guests feel safer doing laundry during slow hours. People who are alone are more likely targets for crime, so having a nearby emergency contact device means someone can call for help even if they don’t have their phone handy.
Upgrade to App Payment
Deterring theft is one of the strongest reasons to replace your old laundry machines with new ones that accept modern forms of payment, like app payment. When you don’t have any coins stashed in your machines and your tenants don’t need to carry credit cards, you make your property less attractive to thieves.
Follow these tips to make your apartment laundry safer for tenants. Everyone will appreciate the efforts made to keep them secure.