Industries
Vacant Property Security
Patrols and posted officers for vacant Bay Area buildings, lots and homes between tenants or sales: lock and door checks, squatting and break-in deterrence, and photo reports to the owner.
Empty Buildings Need Someone Checking
A vacant building stops sending the signals that someone cares about it: no cars in the lot, no lights in the windows, nobody locking up at night. Before long, that silence attracts break-ins, copper and fixture theft, graffiti, dumping and people looking for a place to stay. HALO Private Security keeps watch over empty property until it has tenants, a buyer or a construction crew again.
HALO covers vacant office buildings, retail storefronts, warehouses, empty lots, houses awaiting sale and buildings between tenants across San Francisco, Daly City, the Peninsula and the South Bay. The plan fits the property: a few patrol visits a night for a locked storefront, or a posted officer for a large building with many ways in.
Patrol Checks for Vacant Property
For most vacant property, mobile patrol is the most cost-effective coverage. An officer visits at varying times through the night and on weekends, walks the perimeter, tries every door and gate, looks at windows and roof access, and checks for signs of entry since the last visit. Unpredictable timing makes the gaps hard for anyone to learn.
Interior checks can be added where the owner provides access. The officer walks the floors, checks that utilities, water and alarm panels look as expected, and looks for leaks, damage or signs of someone sleeping inside.
Locks, Doors and Openings
Most break-ins at a vacant property start at a weak point: a side door, a loose board, a broken window or a gate chain cut since the last visit. Officers check each one by hand, photograph anything that has changed and report it, so the owner or property manager can send a locksmith or board-up crew before the damage grows.
Signage, lighting and a tidy frontage all help a building look watched. Officers note dead lights, missing signs, graffiti and dumped items on every round.
Deterring Squatters and Break-Ins
Keeping squatters out from the start is much simpler than getting them out later. Regular, visible patrol checks and a report the first time someone is seen on the property give the owner the chance to act early. When an officer finds a person inside or on the grounds, the officer asks them to leave, documents what was found and contacts police where the owner’s instructions call for it.
Owners can also book a posted officer for a short stretch after a break-in, during a listing period, or while a building waits for demolition or remodeling, then step back down to patrol visits.
Reports to the Owner
Owners of vacant property are often out of town or managing several buildings, so the report is what they see of the work. Every patrol visit and incident report includes photos of the doors, the openings, the lot and anything that changed. Reports go to the owner, the property manager or the listing agent, as you direct.
Supervisors carry out quality inspections along patrol routes, and every officer is background-checked and holds a BSIS guard card. Every client receives a certificate of insurance.
Pairing Vacant Property Patrols With Other Services
Vacant property often sits beside active work. A building being readied for new tenants may need construction site security for the crew’s tools and materials, and a building with its fire alarm or sprinklers out of service may need a fire watch officer until the systems are restored.
Where the alarm is still connected, alarm response sends an officer to check the property when it trips, and patrol visits cover the rest of the night.
What Vacant Property Security Costs
Patrol visits are billed by the minute, at $2-3 a minute with a five-minute minimum per visit, so a few short checks a night cost far less than a full shift. A posted officer is billed by the hour, usually $36-50, and a guard who needs a vehicle to cover a large lot or several buildings adds $7-12 an hour.
Use the cost calculator to compare patrol visits with a posted officer, then send the address and dates through the quote form. Contracts run month to month, so coverage can end the week the new tenant moves in.
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A few useful answers
Common questions
How many patrol visits does an empty building need each night?
Several randomized patrol visits a night suit most vacant properties, with more after a break-in or over holiday weekends. A large building with many entrances may call for a posted officer instead.
What happens if the officer finds someone inside?
The officer asks the person to leave, documents the scene with photos and follows your instructions, including calling police where you have asked for it. The incident goes into a report for the contacts you name.
Can you check a vacant house that is for sale?
Yes. Patrol visits check doors, windows, the yard and the garage, and interior checks can be added with a key or lockbox access from the owner or listing agent.
What will patrols for an empty property cost?
Patrol visits run $2-3 a minute with a five-minute minimum per visit, and posted officers usually $36-50 an hour. The cost calculator gives a monthly range for either option.
How soon can vacant property coverage start?
Temporary guards can often start within 24 hours, which helps right after a break-in or a tenant’s move-out.