Securing an empty building can be extremely costly, whether you’re paying per day or for an extended period. And yet, leaving your property vacant can be even more expensive when you consider the risks involved—arson, squatting and vandalism to name a few.

If this quandary puts you between a rock and a hard place, don’t worry: Blue Door Property Guardians helps landlords avoid all this unpleasantness! Property guardians are responsible working professionals who occupy your property and act as a 24/7 deterrent to the most common threats. Through Blue Door Property Guardians, you can avail of this cost-effective new form of security at zero cost, saving you thousands of pounds per year.

To give you an idea of how much you can save by opting for Blue Door Property Guardians rather than leaving your property vacant with traditional security in place, we’ve tallied up the average annual expenses for a small vacant commercial property. Should you wish to get in touch after reading through this list, our contact details are at the bottom of this page. But, because we suspect that you might not need to read very far, we’ll pop our phone number right here for you, too! Give us a call now and we’ll organise to have your property secured in a jiffy.

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Here are the average costs of keeping a small commercial property vacant for a year:

Professional Security Services

Average annual cost: £105,000+

The first thing that usually comes to mind when we think about property security is a guard patrolling the property 24/7. That’s generally what’s required to avoid the most common threats—nothing deters criminals quite like having someone present at all times. But security guards are also the most expensive form of security, which is not surprising when you consider the man-hours involved in 24/7-365 guarding.

We estimate a minimum cost of £105,000 to pay a reputable security company to send one security guard to patrol your property all day and night every single day for a year. They might also need to install security cameras and alarm systems to boost the security set up, an expense you mightn’t even consider during better times when your commercial property is in regular use. What else could you do with all that cash?

Property guardians, on the other hand, perform the most essential part of a security guard’s role (namely being on the property, especially at night, when the property is most vulnerable) but there is a key difference: property guardians cost you nothing. That’s not to say that they fill this role for free, though—our property guardians get a great deal, too. In exchange for low-cost temporary accommodation, our guardians maintain a visible presence at our landlords’ property, deterring the threats posed by opportunists. They also keep an eye out for any security risks and take appropriate action.

Boarding-Up Your Property

Average annual cost: £20,500

While a boarded-up building is generally considered an eye-sore, you’d think those boards were made of gold with the price they fetch! Taking materials and labour into consideration, boarding up a property can be much more expensive than you’d think. What’s more, opportunists see a boarded-up property as a target, so all that money you’re spending on so-called security doubles as an advertising campaign for the wrong sort of customer! With property guardians in situ, there is no need for boarding up as the property is not vacant. The building stays in use, retaining a lively appearance and making a positive impact on the community.

Building Maintenance

Average annual cost: £3,300

The condition of an unoccupied property can quickly deteriorate when there’s nobody there to keep an eye on things like plumbing, electrics and the integrity of the structure, especially during extreme weather like storms or floods. If you’re not available to maintain your property yourself (or don’t have the necessary skills) the cost of regular maintenance visits from skilled tradesmen can add up quickly. While it may be tempting to presume that an unoccupied building can be left for long periods without maintenance work, a relatively small maintenance issue left unchecked can cost thousands to rectify. For example, what starts as a minor leak could flood a basement, causing damage to valuable assets like stock and machinery, as well as structural damage to the property which can cause it to depreciate in value.

One of the benefits that Blue Door Property Guardians offers is regular property inspections to ensure that any maintenance issues are nipped in the bud. Our guardians also stay alert to potential damage, and our head guardians report to us as soon as they spot something that needs attention.

Vacant Property Insurance

Average annual cost: An additional 50% added to your insurance premium

If you choose to leave your property vacant, not only do you have to spend upwards of £40,000 on additional security measures (for a small commercial building) but, to add insult to injury, you have to pay 50% more to insure it. While you might think that all these extra security features would make your property a lower-risk asset than it was previously, no amount of superficial security outweighs the additional risks posed to vacant properties. Security companies calculate that on average, your property is 50% more likely to suffer damage if it stands vacant than if it is occupied. This should be a good indication that any amount of expensive security can only do so much to protect your property from risk. If the concept of vacant property insurance is new to you, you can read about the ins-and-outs here.

According to insurance companies (and they tend to be quite exact about these things) the best way to reduce the security risk to your property is avoid leaving it vacant in the first place. Luckily for landlords, the best way is also the cheapest way—if you use Blue Door Property Guardians, that is. Our 24/7 live-in guardian service is completely free to landlords.

If you’ve reached the end of this blog post and still haven’t picked up the phone or shot us an email, we expect that’s probably because you want to make a cup of tea before you do. No worries, we’ll be here when you’re ready!