Like real estate agents, residential investors and landlords face significant safety risks when in the field. Whether they are previewing vacant properties, investigating tenant problems, or merely collecting rents or laundry revenue on-site, residential landlords need to accept that dangers exist and stay alert while focusing on the task at hand. These safety tips for residential landlords are just a few pointers for operating safely in the field.
Assess The Risks
Regardless of whether the property you’re visiting is a possible acquisition or one you already own, assess the potential risks involved at that particular site prior to arriving. There are two types of risks: 1) general risks to anyone in the area or 2) personal risks specific to you as a potential target due to your involvement with the property.
General risks are typically easy to determine. If the area has an overall high crime rate, you may need to be concerned with any number of violent crimes, such as carjacking, mugging or assault.
Personal risks relate to your business at the property, especially when you’re collecting rent, investigating a problem tenant, or removing coins from laundry machines in a multi-family complex. Attacks might be motivated by anger regarding a lease issue or because you are assumed to be carrying money. A recent example of personal risk is the unfortunate shooting death of a landlord in Escondido in April 2013 during an argument over past-due rent (Escondido: Property Manager Fatally Shot While Collecting Rent, City News Service, April 25, 2013). Even if visiting a vacant property, you may need to be on alert for aggressive squatters who might have occupied the property.
Be Prepared
I recently posted an article with safety tips for real estate agents holding an open house (Safety Items For Every Agent’s Open House Kit). Landlords who show vacant rentals or hold rental open houses may want to consider using some of these items, too. I recommend these essentials for daily use by landlords:
- A safety app on your smart phone that will send an emergency message to a list of people and 911 if you are in immediate danger (make sure to use an app where you can pre-enter the address you’re visiting or the address is automatically entered into your message via GPS)
- Drive an inconspicuous vehicle. Leave the Bentley at home – unless you have a driver/bodyguard that comes with it.
- Wear inconspicuous attire. Like your car, your clothing can say a lot about you, such as “I’m rich, rob me!” Dress appropriate to how you assess the risk.
- Carry personal defense items if you have proper training and they are legal in your specific area, such as a taser, pepper spray, etc.
- Learn basic personal defense techniques (more on that in the next section).
Move Tactically
OK, we’re not parachuting into darkness twenty miles behind enemy lines to conduct covert reconnaissance on a secret factory producing weapons of mass destruction – we’re just looking at property we might buy or checking on a tenant. But if our risk assessment suggests potential danger, we should move about the property with caution and apply some simple, common-sense safety techniques.
- Keep your smart phone in your hand with the emergency app running. When danger strikes, there is usually no time to fumble for it in your pocket.
- Bring a buddy. I often schedule maintenance work at a location when I make an appointment to address a problem with a tenant. If nothing needs to be repaired, I’ll find someone to come along anyway if I believe the risk warrants it.
- Have your buddy or a third person make a video of your visit. This is sometimes a good tactic for keeping danger at bay, but it may also be useful later when a tenant falsely accuses you of doing or saying something improper.
- Don’t establish a routine. Don’t be the landlord who picks up rents the same exact time on the same specific day each month or that harvests the coins from the laundry at the same time and day every week.
- Look, listen, walk. It’s how we learned to cross a street. When approaching a property, look and listen for signs of danger and retreat if you see or hear them.
- When walking past a doorway or area you can’t see, walk wide of it.
- Keep your buddy in sight. When entering a building, don’t walk past where your buddy can see you or where you can see him or her.
- Don’t go inside a home or apartment unless you have to. Whenever possible, collect the rent or handle your business with the tenant at the door or ask the tenant to step outside. If you must go inside, leave the exterior door open and have your buddy stand in the doorway where you can see each other.
- If an attack comes, knowing basic self defense can help you escape. If a tenant or someone else on the property appears to be taking a combative posture, get out of there immediately before danger strikes. But if the strike is unforeseen and you are assaulted, do what you can to defend yourself and GET OUT. Let the police take it from there. Even if you’re an accomplished martial artist and are likely to win in any engagement, you don’t want the legal liabilities that come with getting into a physical altercation with a tenant. Just get out. You can come back later with the police to finish your business, if necessary.
Get Professional Help
Speaking of the police… it’s sometimes possible to get a police escort to a property if 1) you can explain why danger may be present and 2) the police have the resources to support you. My company offers “problem tenant services” (California property management services) that include collecting from tenants who are chronically late with their rent, investigating complaints against tenants from neighbors, inspecting properties that may be abused by tenants, and investigating tenants who are suspected of conducting illegal activity on the premises. We caution landlords that it’s never too early to share concerns about a tenant with the police, since the police have often come into contact with those tenants long before the landlord begins to see a problem.
I hope you found these safety tips for residential landlords helpful and will leave comments with any additional safety procedures, tools or tips you have. As Sergeant Esterhaus used to say before sending his cops onto the street in TV’s Hill Street Blues,
“Let’s be careful out there.”
Some helpful links:
The Home Security Superstore: portable alarms and home security devices
Wireless doormat alarm: great example of a portable doormat alarm
Amazon.com floor alarm: floor mat security alarm
Damsel In Defense: personal defense items
Santa Clara Kenpo Academy: martial arts training in Silicon Valley
National Association of REALTORS® Safety: agent safety information from NAR
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John A. Souerbry & Associates (DRE 01370983)
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