Blog > How to Protect a Vacant Property: 3 Steps To Secure a Vacant Property
How to Protect a Vacant Property: 3 Steps To Secure a Vacant Property
Vacant Property Services
Written by Daniel MeeajanePublished: 1st February 2025Last update: 23rd June 2026
Vacant properties are regular targets for criminal activity, whether it’s an empty residential rental or a commercial unit between tenants.
The presence of valuable raw materials and running utilities combined with easy access can cost landlords and property owners thousands in repairing vandalism, evicting squatters and replacing stolen fixtures, roof tiles and copper piping.
Fortunately, there are several ways to defend a vacant property and ensure your premises remain safe from unlawful entry. So how do you protect a vacant property? Let’s run through a few of the tips from the Clearway security experts to ensure you mitigate all of the common risks inherent with a vacant property.
Contents
Key takeaways
Physical security measures such as steel doors, tamper-proof screens, and barrier blocks effectively deter unauthorised entry and protect valuable assets in vacant properties.
Advanced security systems including CCTV and video-verified alarms enable real-time monitoring and rapid response to security threats.
Regular property inspections identify maintenance needs, environmental risks like flooding and gas leaks, and ensure compliance with insurance requirements.
How to Protect Vacant Property From Break-Ins
1. Installing Physical Security To Prevent Entry
Let’s start with the physical security measures that act as a criminal deterrent.
The ideal scenario is to have a shield around all of your vulnerable entry points, meaning that any prospective intruder is deterred from attempting illegal entry.
Steel Security Doors for Vacant Properties
Most properties are easiest to access through conventional entry points, and security locks often aren’t robust enough to deter persistent criminals.
Wooden door frames can be quickly crowbarred open, screws removed, or windows smashed.
Clearway provides bespoke steel security doors that comply with the highest insurance standards and UK policing recommendations, with an LPS1175 rating that makes them the ultimate protection, even against repeated intrusion attempts or high-impact damage.
A steel security door with keyless entry is perfect if you have authorised contractors working on site, since they and any other authorised personnel can gain entry with a simple security code.
Installing Temporary or Long-Term Security Screens
Another way to prevent your empty property from being targeted is to install security screens available for windows and doors of any size.
Features incorporated into our engineered steel screens include:
Flush fitting around the frame of the door or window.
Tamper-proof bolts to prevent vandalism or illegal removal.
Perforations to permit natural airflow and ventilation.
Customised options, hand-cut on-site for unusual shapes and structures.
The internal framing system ensures your frames and brickwork remain in good condition, with steel being far superior to traditional wooden boards used for boarding up.
Steel security screens are also arson-resistant and reduce any fire risks present at your site.
Erecting Concrete Barrier Blocks to Protect Empty Buildings
Vacant properties in remote areas, industrial sites, or retail parks are commonly hit by ram-raiding or fly-tipping if criminals can gain vehicular access.
Concrete barrier blocks, available on a hire basis, are extremely effective at ensuring that any unauthorised vehicles cannot breach your property perimeter and any rear access routes or pathways are restricted.
We also supply concrete barrier blocks with anti-climb Heras fencing to create a strong, impenetrable boundary to prevent a wide range of potential intrusions.
2. Defending Empty Properties with Alarms and Advanced Monitoring / Alarm Surveillance
The next step in securing an empty residence or trading unit is to consider the building alarm systems and alerts you have in place.
If a break-in occurs, or you suspect an environmental issue (such as flooding, fire or a gas leak), you need to know what the problem is quickly in order to deploy a security response or appropriate personnel. Clearway provide a range of security alarms, including fire and intruder, which can all be remotely monitored by our team of specialists at our Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC). Learn more about our vacant property alarms and our industry accredited Alarm Monitoring Service.
Video-Verified Vacant Property Alarm Systems
Every landlord will be familiar with the stress of responding to alarm call-outs at unsociable hours, only to find that the trigger was something harmless – usually local wildlife!
Video verified alarms solve the issue in one swoop while allowing you to respond fast when a genuine break-in is identified:
Every alarm activation prompts a 10-second video filmed in real-time.
Your videos are transmitted instantly, either to your device or our accredited Alarm Response Centre.
Signals utilise the mobile network with no reliance on Wi-Fi or broadband.
Our outdoor PIR cameras incorporate day and night visibility and provide a fail-safe way to assess the cause of the alarm and determine the correct actions.
Temporary CCTV for Empty Buildings
CCTV surveillance is a highly successful criminal deterrent, and often the signage alone is enough to prevent a wide range of undesirable behaviours!
Clearway offers short-term temporary CCTV hire tailored to your needs to defend vacant properties for as long as required.
Remote CCTV is excellent for empty properties. It operates independently from mains power with commercial-grade long-life battery packs that won’t cease to work in a power cut or where wiring has been tampered with.
Live video streams and instant recording triggers act as a permanent security guard, on-site 24-hours a day.
Advanced Surveillance Through CCTV Towers
If your vacant property includes a large land area or comprises a car park or forecourt, a CCTV tower may be the best solution.
Mast-mounted CCTV towers are efficient deterrents, with a six-metre mast height to watch closely over larger sites or outdoor spaces.
Solar-powered energy packs with high-capacity performance create flawless surveillance, recording, storing and transmitting all relevant activities in high-definition.
3. Regular Vacant Property Inspection Services
Our final recommendation to protect vacant property is to consider contracting your security provider to conduct regular property inspections.
While it is crucial to defend against unlawful activities such as thefts and vandalism, many threats to an empty premise are environmental.
Checks on utilities, including meter readings and drain-downs, to avoid build-ups of stagnant water and other health hazards.
Detailed logs of the site condition, identifying potential issues of concern to preserve the property and assess necessary repairs.
Exterior property checks to verify whether any intrusions have been attempted, looking out for fly-tipping or key maintenance tasks.
Regular inspections are beneficial for many reasons, not least that they can mitigate any possible insurance issues and create a permanent log of your property’s condition.
Remote alarms, CCTV surveillance, and video-verified alarm systems provide real-time monitoring and rapid response to security threats, helping property owners distinguish genuine break-ins from false alarms while ensuring 24/7 surveillance even during power outages.
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Other Considerations
You may also want to consider:
Deterrents & Signage
Security Signage – Clearly display warnings such as “Monitored by CCTV” or “24/7 Security Patrols.”
Lighting – Install motion-sensitive security lighting to illuminate key areas and deter unwanted visitors.
Security Personnel & Access Control
Mobile Patrols – Hire security guards to conduct routine patrols.
Vacant Property Guardians – Consider temporary occupation by property guardians to keep the building legally occupied.
Environmental & Fire Protection
Water & Utility Monitoring – Prevent leaks, flooding, or fire risks by turning off unnecessary utilities or installing smart monitoring systems.
Fire & Smoke Detection – Ensure working fire alarms and sprinkler systems are in place.
Motion-Activated Security Lighting
Install motion-sensor floodlights around entry points, pathways, and blind spots.
Opt for PIR (Passive Infrared) sensors, which detect body heat and movement to reduce false activations.
Position lights out of reach to prevent tampering.
Finding the Right Solutions to Protect Vacant Property
If you’re unsure how to defend a vacant property or a business premise with key vulnerabilities, please get in touch for more advice about the measures available.
We can recommend and install the right vacant property security solutions for you and your business, whether for a short-term or long-term period, and you can rest assured that your assets will be secured, monitored and protected by a trusted security partner.
Written by Daniel Meeajane
Business Development Director, Clearway Fire and Security
Daniel Meeajane is Business Development Director at Clearway Fire and Security, bringing strong commercial expertise alongside a detailed understanding of fire protection systems and industry standards.
Having contributed to a number of major projects and delivered successful outcomes, Daniel uses his knowledge and experience to drive awareness of effective fire protection solutions across a wide range of environments. His approach combines relationship-led business development with a clear understanding of technical compliance, operational requirements, and customer risk.
Daniel has a strong understanding of BS 5839-1, recognising the importance of compliant fire detection and alarm system design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance. He also keeps pace with the latest developments in fire technology, ensuring clients benefit from informed guidance, up-to-date solutions, and best practice across every stage of delivery.
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