Securing an unused or derelict building can be a very difficult task, it is recommended that you get a professional security company in to do this job.
First steps.It is essential to do a survey of the building to establish what are the main accessible ingress points within the structure. You will most likely be trying to prevent trespassing from young people, Vandals and people trying to inhabit the building.
It is likely that the easiest access into the building will be at ground floor level, so therefore these points of access needs to be given special consideration in planning.
Saying that all access into the building will need to be looked at as remember only takes one week points or access points to allow people into the building.
The benefits of preventing access.
For the most parts, preventing trespasses unwanted visitors from entering is to prevent injury to them once within the building, especially in the case of a derelict site. Secondly, it is to prevent vandalism and damage to the building which can further degrade it, including fire and structural damage.
Common measures.
The most common approach to preventing access by boarding up the opening points securely, leaving, only one access doorway with a robust locking system which would take considerable efforts to breach.
The types of material use to board up the building will commonly be timber OSB boards (the cheapest option) or steel perforated sheets, with as many secure fixings as possible. They will have to be fixed into a good substrate and any events that that doesn’t exist fixing points will have to be created using framework. The most common tool used by trespasses to access a building is the crowbar, and this has to be taken into account when securing openings.
It is likely that with OSB boards they will have to be regularly inspected and maintained.
Additional measures.
Employing CCTV and modern security lighting can bebeneficial, also if there is power available to make this feasible. This will add another layer of security and also help discourage unwanted guests. These measures are also advised if the building is within an uninhabited area where crime is not reported. Also signage is an important factor in both deterring trespasses and alerting them to the dangers of entering the building
Is it worth it?
When considering whether to secure your building, it is important to weigh up the costs of the damage that may be done to the building, adding enormous additional costs to any regeneration work that you are planning . Also, there is a limited duty of care to trespasses in the UK law, so if it is established that the building is easily accessible and once accessed provides considerable rests to the trespasser, they could be liability for the owner. Again signage is an important factor here. Used to warn off internal dangers within the building.
