Vandalism to a Commercial Property

3/27/2018 (Permalink)

Vandalism is an action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property without the owner's permission. According to the Urban Institute, vandals typically strike during the late evening hours when business property is unattended. A majority of acts of vandalism are crimes of opportunity and buildings are usually hit because they are unprotected and easily accessible.

Vandalism can affect your property in many ways. It can damage your property which in turn requires time, effort, and money to repair. It can also cause your business to lose income if what was vandalized is essential to your operations and cannot be used. Graffiti and other types of defacement can have a negative effect on your company's image. Damaged property may be unattractive to potential buyers or tenants which can lower the value of your property.

The following are some ways you can help prevent vandalism happening to your property.

• Make sure you fix the problem as soon as possible. Doing this sends a message that you care about your property and won't tolerate the vandalism.
• Your police department can't respond to crimes if they don't know about them so make sure you contact them as soon as you discover an act of vandalism.
• By sharing information with other business owners that have been vandalized you can find out if there are patterns like whether they are striking at a certain time of day or certain days of the week.
• You could start a business watch group which is about the same thing as a neighborhood watch group. Members can help reduce crime by keeping an eye on each other's property.
• Properties that are kept clean and free of trash may not be as appealing to vandals as properties that aren't well maintained.
• Making sure your property is well-lit at night can help prevent vandals from defacing your property.
• Installing cameras can help police should a vandalism happen to you. Police can use the recorded video to help catch the perpetrators.
• Installing break-resistant glass can make it difficult for vandals to penetrate.
• Consider installing fencing or planting shrubbery to deter individuals from striking your property.
• Should a vandalism happen to you call SERVPRO of Burlington. Our trained professionals will respond quickly and along with removing spray-painted graffiti from exterior walls we can also clean driveways, walkways, asphalt, metals, wood, glass, plastic, and masonry. We can make it "Like it never even happened."

319-754-8050