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Five Security Measures Your HOA Should Take

Keeping your community safe is likely one of your association's top priorities. Here are 5 security measures your board can take.
Staff Writer | Mar 28, 2024 | 3 min read
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Most people who live in HOA communities feel safe and secure. After all, security is one of the benefits that a planned community ostensibly offers to a greater degree than a public community. However, unless your community is proactive about enforcing existing security measures and developing new ones as necessary, your neighborhood may not be as safe as you think.

To be truly safe, planned communities must consistently enforce security measures. Here are five security measures your association should take.

1. Conduct an Annual Security Assessment

Each year, the HOA board or provider of community management services should assess whether security resources have the anticipated effect. An easy way to find out is to survey residents to determine whether they feel unsafe (and in what ways), as well as whether they encountered situations that security measures should prevent. This will help to reveal any gaps in the current security system.

2. Stay Current with Premises Liability Laws

Depending on the state in which your neighborhood is located, it may be responsible for preventing third parties from receiving injuries or creating mayhem that causes other people to be injured. If the state holds your community legally responsible for these things, it would behoove the community to ensure that common buildings and common grounds contain plenty of visible signage that reflects premises' liability laws.

3. Install Effective Security Measures

Install security measures that actually increase security. For example, a security fence must be more than three or four feet tall to effectively keep people from entering a swimming pool area after hours. The same goes for warning signs that tell people in certain terms what they can and cannot do when they enter a certain area or attend an occasion that the neighborhood holds.

4. Make Sure Security Cameras are Used Effectively

Some communities have a security camera system in place without anyone to monitor the cameras after business hours. While security cameras are great for recording criminal conduct for the sake of legal evidence, their greater purpose is to stop crimes in progress. If a crime occurs and someone is monitoring the camera screens, the police can be called immediately to come to the community and potentially stop the crime.

5. Have a Service Contract for Security Systems

Security systems require scheduled maintenance and occasional repairs. That is why it’s important to have a service contract with the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) or a provider of community management services that is familiar with the security system that is used. In addition to bolstering security, regular maintenance of the security system will help preserve an important asset.

Get Safer Today

Taking the measures above can increase security in association-governed communities. If your HOA community has been lax in taking any of these measures, the situation should be corrected as soon as possible. For assistance implementing security measures that make your planned neighborhood a safer place to live and play, contact a provider of community management services today and schedule a free consultation.

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