If your Commercial or residential Office Building, Single Office, Industrial Unit or Shop is going to be sitting vacant you should be aware of the risks involved.
So you have closed everything up and secured it against possible intrusion and damage – job done! Not quite, there are things you need to consider.
Insurance
Buildings and Contents Insurance is always a must for a property, but when you sign up to a policy you’re agreeing to comply with your insurer’s mandatory requirements. This means that not only are you obliged to inform your insurers that the property will be vacant for a period of time, you must also then carry out any actions they require in order to protect the property whilst it’s vacant.
This is because insurers recognise that vacant properties are particularly vulnerable, so you’re likely to be given a checklist of steps they require you to take to minimise risk. Insurance companies consider such checklists to offer evidence of property owners ‘doing their bit’ to pro-actively protect the property, rather than passively expecting insurers to pay up in the event of problems.
One common requirement on an insurer’s checklist is that the property should be inspected regularly – and it’s vital that you don’t just do this, but can also show evidence of having done so.
Any failure to do so may be considered by insurers as non-compliance, in which case the insurance company may refuse any claims arising, including a claim of cost.
Duty of Care
All property owners have a in respect of their property or premises. Whether the empty property is commercial or residential, this duty of care requires property owners to ensure (or be able to show that they have made reasonable efforts to ensure) that any visitors to the property are not put at risk.
This extends to visitors who may even be unauthorised, such as burglars or would-be squatters, as well as neighbours who might just be visiting to put the bins out or open curtains or may suffer problems as a result of the property being unattended and its condition not monitored.
If accidents, injuries and damage occur as a result of neglecting the property, you could be open to litigation from anyone affected and could find yourself paying huge costs in damages if you are found to have failed in your duty of care.
Please click here for further information relating the duty of care.
Inspections are effective because they’re a means of keeping up to date with the site and checking for any potential security issues. They can be particularly effective when used in conjunction with security measures such as monitored CCTV & Intruder alarm which can alert to the need for inspections to take place quickly as follow up to identified issues, such as attempted unauthorised access or vandalism or damage following extreme weather.
1986 Compliance offers regular inspections of void properties and can tailor an inspection check list to suite your requirements. Our standard Inspection reports have 9 Sections and covers all risks, as stipulated by Insurance companies, during when a property is vacant.Please see below an example of our standard Vacant Property Inspection Report.
