Protecting Your Vehicle At Home

Vandalism of vehicles has been an ongoing concern for tenants in buildings everywhere. New residents are often asking what they can do to discourage break-ins and vandalism to their vehicles. This is a problem for every building in the city, although buildings with extensive security have fewer incidents.

In my experience, I have noticed that vandalism & break-ins most often occur in the underground parking garages or in outdoor lots in which there is poor lighting or poor visibility. A person who chooses not to lock all of their doors, or leaves several tapes or money on the front seat is often asking for trouble. Most people don't realize that it takes a matter of seconds for even an amateur to break into your vehicle.

The most important source to eliminate vandalism is tenant awareness. Think about how many times you opened the front door to your building to let somebody in. Criminals don't necessarily look like criminals. They come in all shapes & sizes. By opening an entrance door to the building, you may just let in another thief.

A common method vandals use to enter underground garages is by following some unsuspecting individual entering the garage after they have used their key to open the mechanical door. The garage door of most buildings as a matter of safety stays open long enough for two vehicles to pass through the entrance. As always, I would never suggest approaching the suspect directly. Advise your management office or superintendent if the face is unfamiliar.

Although you may not know all of your neighbours,in most buildings, you will recognize the faces.

Many times, suspicious persons are seen in a parking area but tenants haven't bothered to notify the resident manager or superintendent. The general attitude seems to be "it's not my problem", until of course it's your vehicle. Let's face it, deductibles are often very high on automobiles today which means a direct loss to the insured.

Regional police departments have been known to come and speak to tenants associations regarding vandalism. Vertical watch programs have also been initiated in some communities as a preventive action. Whatever the case, you should feel comfortable asking your next Landlord how do they deal with security? Although vandalism can happen in the best of buildings, it is often how the Landlord deals with the situation that makes them stand out above the crowd.

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