Four Ways Property Guardianship Can Help Communities During a Recession
As the UK economy contracts in the wake of COVID-19, landlords will have to find new ways to save money and keep their businesses afloat. This is something we know a lot about: helping landlords save money is what we do!
How Can Property Guardianship Save You Money?
As a business model, Property Guardianship is a low cost (or, if you go with Blue Door Property Guardians, zero-cost!) solution to vacant property security. Rather than spend thousands of pounds per year on traditional security measures like manned patrols, CCTV cameras, boarding up windows, and security alarms, you put your property in our capable hands, and let our carefully-vetted guardians take care of it… for free. If your property is a commercial building, we transform it into a comfortable home for our guardians, who are promptly moved into your property to secure it with their presence 24/7, 365. If your property is residential, this can be achieved even faster. You save on security costs, as well as business rates and vacant property insurance. We charge guardians a licence fee to temporarily reside at the property in exchange for their role as responsible care takers of your property. That (in a nutshell) is how the business-side of property guardianship works, and how it translates into massive savings for landlords.
But, property guardianship is so much more than a business. It’s also a creative solution to the current housing crisis and a driver of social change, with the potential to stimulate economic growth in struggling neighbourhoods and foster emerging communities of socially-minded people. As times get tough in the UK economically, many landlords are not only tightening their belts from a business perspective, but feeling a social responsibility to give back.
Here’s how registering your building in our property guardianship scheme can help your local community:
Support Emerging Artists
What would life be like without art, especially during periods of economic struggle? And yet, whose responsibility should it be to pay artists? Of course, it’s not up to you to solve this timeless conundrum, but if the role of ‘patron of the arts’ has ever appealed to you, rest assured that as a client of Blue Door Property Guardians, you can tick “support artists” off your to-do list. One of the fantastic things about property guardianship is that the scheme attracts creatives who are working hard, often as key workers, to make time and space in their lives to pursue their artistic dreams. Because of the temporary nature of the accommodation, the lifestyle of a property guardian is about embracing a slightly bohemian attitude towards housing, something artists have long been known to excel at. So, not surprisingly, painters, photographers, dancers, DJs—you name an art—are well represented in our guardian community.
Give Workers a Head Start
Securing your vacant building with property guardians is a great way to assist key workers and professionals who have been as yet unable to secure a foothold on the property ladder. A serious downside of London and other cities in the UK where jobs are plentiful is that rents are sky-high. This means young working professionals stand little chance of saving enough for a house deposit, with the result that they become trapped in a cycle of renting. But property guardians are not tenants. Our property guardians pay less than market rent for the licence to inhabit the properties we care for. In exchange for low cost accommodation, they secure the building against typical threats to vacant properties, like vandalism, squatting, arson and theft. This means that they spend less on accommodation, helping them build up savings for that all-important deposit, or perhaps pay for additional training to kick-start a career.
Stimulate the Local Economy
If your neighbourhood is experiencing a downturn, opting for property guardianship is a great way to resist the tide of negative impact that can follow—crime, squatting, vandalism, and of course a reduction in property prices. Rather than let buildings stand empty, property guardianship encourages an influx of young, skilled professionals into the area, which can act as a stimulus to the local economy. Not only do property guardians support local businesses like corner stores, coffee shops and hairdressers, but they bring their skills and energy to the community, generating a lively arts and culture scene, the tell-tale sign of an ‘up and coming’ neighbourhood.
Keep Buildings in Meaningful Use
Whether you have a warehouse, council property, or stately home in your care, there may come a time when the property can’t be used for its intended purpose. Boarding up the building indefinitely can feel like a waste, when you consider the potential benefits the space could offer to the community. (You may also be thinking of the upkeep required to prevent a large vacant building from falling into disrepair!) One of the most exciting community benefits of property guardianship is the potential to breathe new life into disused buildings by repurposing the space as shared accommodation for key workers and professionals. Securing your building with property guardians means you not only get zero-cost security, but the added satisfaction of knowing that your building is home to a thriving community.
Saving landlords money on security costs (and other expenses) is the backbone of our business. That said, we find it incredibly satisfying to take part in a socially transformative project that has the potential to boost communities all over the UK. If zero-cost security sounds good to you, and you’re excited to join this positive initiative, please get in touch!
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