How to Protect Your Property from Vandalism
Intentionally damaging a home or business is a crime. Vandalism affects residential homeowners and owners of commercial properties and public areas, like schools and recreational areas. Property owners should take care to protect their home or business from the inexcusable acts of delinquents.
Acts of vandalism range from minor ones that may fall under the category of misdemeanors to serious ones that are considered felonies. Spray painting graffiti, tampering with mailboxes, breaking windows and carving into siding and wood structures are all examples of vandalism.
Frequent acts of vandalism undermine the safety of communities. Residents’ quality of life is compromised, especially when damage occurs in public places, like schools, community parks and local businesses. Even worse, vandalism is frequently linked to additional property crimes, like theft.
Fortunately, property owners can take steps to protect their property from vandalism. Ideally, implementing a combination of the following protective solutions, such as motion-sensor lighting, fences and security cameras, will deter vandals from perpetrating their malicious wrongdoings.
- Add Lighting
Property owners should take care to protect their home or business from the inexcusable acts of delinquents.
A darkened space is inviting to a stealthy vandal. Keep miscreants at bay by installing exterior lights to the home or business. Even better is to install motion-senor lights. Once a trespasser with delinquent motives attempts to cause ruin, the lights will turn on and scare them away.
Lighting should be installed along the property’s most susceptible areas and ones that are most visible to passersby, passing cars or, in general, the public. The remotest possibility that the vandals will be identified by the glare of lights will deter them from making an attempt to destroy the property.
- Plant Shrubs
Prickly bushes, especially, are a thorn in vandals’ sides. Bushes, shrubs and trees, while enhancing the visual aesthetic of a property, go a long way in deterring would-be delinquents. Climbing through rough vegetation to access the property is a challenge not many vandals will easily take on.
- Add a Fence
A row of thorny plants acts as a barrier, but installing an actual fence is a step toward preventing vandals from breaking and entering. The fence should be secured with a locked gate. Passageways and corner lots are ideal spots to put up a fence and undermine ill-intentioned ruffians.
- Install Security Cameras
No vandal wants an audience while in the midst of doing their dirty work. Installing security cameras in secluded spaces is especially useful. Place the camera in a hard-to-reach location, like behind windows. Keep in mind that vandals can spray paint over the window and furtively carry out their illicit deeds.
Hiding the camera is optimal, as vandals can tamper with devices that are out in the open. Surveillance cameras should be angled so they capture wide expanses and capture the criminal activity from beginning to end. Security cameras are an inexpensive and effective way to monitor a home or business.
An alternative to concealing the camera is to place it in clear view. Even if the trespassers are undeterred by the security cameras or the faces caught on camera appear blurry, the surveillance footage/evidence will be very useful to law enforcement officials.
A further advantage of installing surveillance equipment is that these devices provide a map for how vandals access the property. A miscreant who jumps a fence, for example, can be spotted on camera, prompting home or business owners to install a fence in that specific area and deter future misdeeds.
- Clean Up Fast
A vandal derives satisfaction from having his graffiti artistry seen. When property owners are quick to paint over or clean the graffiti, the miscreants have little motivation to return a second time and cause additional damage. Broken windows, too, that are swiftly repaired are less welcoming to vandals.
- Add Shatter-Resistant Glass
When it comes to lights, having shatter-resistant glass is advantageous. Vandals who prefer to operate under the protection of darkness will try to smash the lights first. Shatter-resistant lights discourage their efforts, and the troublemakers will abandon the property in favor of easier targets.
Windows with break-resistant glass make it difficult for intruders to enter. Doubly effective is keeping the window curtains and blinds closed and turning the lights on. A vandal who cannot see if anyone is home or not will be less inclined to try to find out by breaking and entering.
- Report Crimes
All instances of vandalism, no matter how minor, should be reported to local law enforcement. Once authorities are aware of the extent of vandalism that occurs in a community, they will be prompted to dispatch additional police to patrol the area—which helps thwart illicit activity.
Sometimes putting up protections, like barriers, can encourage vandals who seek an isolated spot in which to carry out their offenses. Home and business owners can work around these issues by combining any of the above protective measures. Ensure a barrier is well-lit, for instance.
- Get Involved
ServiceMaster Restoration by Complete technicians are experienced in cleaning up all instances of vandalism, from graffiti to eggs.
Productive community involvement can discourage opportunistic miscreants. Homeowners may gather in community meetings to discuss vandalism, its costs and viable solutions. Business owners might coordinate with schools or arts organizations to paint murals on exterior building walls and deter graffiti.
Rather than be among the 15 percent of Americans who fall prey to vandalism each year, take steps to protect your home or business. Immediate vandalism cleanup is essential to property protection. ServiceMaster Restoration by Complete provides swift property damage restoration to residential homes and commercial structures.
ServiceMaster Restoration by Complete technicians are experienced in cleaning up all instances of vandalism, from graffiti to eggs. We use powerful cleaning solutions to eliminate all traces of the defacement and return peace of mind to you and the community quickly.
When your property is physically destroyed, ServiceMaster Restoration by Complete specialists will skillfully reconstruct the damaged structure. With advanced equipment and experience in all facets of repairing physical damage, home and business owners can entrust all vandalism repair tasks to us.
For an immediate vandalism cleanup response, call the experienced professionals at ServiceMaster Restoration by Complete. We proudly serve the residential and business communities in Franklin Township, Somerset County and Middlesex County in New Jersey.
