8 Tips To Prevent Crime In Your HOA Community
Crime prevention in an HOA community is the same as everywhere else – we all want our homes and neighborhoods to be safe. HOA crime prevention is as high a priority as it gets. A lot of responsibility is placed upon the HOA board to promote the security and safety of the neighborhood. Although the governing documents outline the level to which the board is responsible for the community's safety, residents can also help in their ways to prevent crime from happening in their community.
You don't have to be part of the HOA neighborhood watch to do your share in preventing crime in your HOA. Getting involved with your HOA crime prevention efforts by doing a few simple things can significantly discourage theft in the community and keep everyone safe.
Condominium Associates provides eight crime safety tips for you that will help you do your part in keeping your streets and homes secure.
1. Well-Lit Exterior
There are so many benefits to having a well-lit exterior. Not only does nighttime lighting help create a welcoming and beautiful atmosphere and prevent falls and injuries, but lighting can also go a long way in preventing crime in your HOA. Most criminals will want to stay anonymous and undetected, so they tend to keep to the shadows when committing theft in the community.
Of course, they will also be quick to avoid areas with sufficient lighting at night. Even if someone commits a crime in a well-lit area, there is a good chance that someone will see and report it right away or record it by a security camera as evidence.
2. Maintain the Community
Many crimes tend to occur in areas not cared for, dirty, or damaged. Suppose your community is well-maintained with no trace of vandals, adequate lighting, and well-secured fences and buildings. In that case, your neighborhood tends to give the impression that people are paying attention to its condition. Deter criminals from entering the area or staying there for long by keeping your community looking nice and new.
3. Encourage Residents to Lock Homes and Vehicles
Crime prevention in an HOA is, for the most part, making it inconvenient to commit a crime. Locking a vehicle or home may provide enough discouragement to keep most criminals from breaking into the property.
The board also needs to do its part to routinely remind residents to lock their homes and vehicles and never to leave their keys in their cars. Thieves in a community often target unlocked vehicles because they can break in, steal, and make their exit very quickly. Interfere with one of those steps, and you have already done a great deal to prevent a burglary in an HOA community.
4. Work with Local Law Enforcement
Having residents on your side as you attempt to fight crime in your neighborhood can be your most vital asset. It is a good idea to remind residents that they should report anything suspicious to local police, even if it seems like it's a minor thing at the time. All residents should have a list of phone numbers to call in an emergency and non-emergency situations.
The HOA board can directly cooperate with local law enforcement for crime prevention activities to take it a step further. Let the local police know that your community is interested in any crime prevention solutions they can recommend. It also never hurts to have an alarm system in the home that reports directly to the local police.
5. Organize a Neighborhood Watch
If crime prevention in an HOA is something you have some experience with, you can consider joining forces with the HOA neighborhood watch in your community.
Setting up a watch can not only make the community safer, but it can also help bring neighbors together as they plan and work together to make their neighborhoods a better place to live in. Just the simple fact that homeowners themselves are on the lookout for crime will keep criminals at bay, especially in cases of insider crime.
6. Stay Updated on Crime Trends and News
Crime prevention in an HOA is also knowing when to pay extra attention. Are your neighbors getting into online purchasing? Then you and your HOA neighborhood watch may need to be more vigilant against "porch pirates", those thieves who sneak into porches to steal delivered packages. Are you getting more visitors to your area at a given time of the year? The holidays is another peak season for possible crimes.
7. Plan for Community Safety
For a more long-term measure of crime prevention in an HOA, both the board and residents should look into working around crime safety. Tall hedges and big shrubs may look impressive, but they can also make it easy for unwanted visitors to hide. In general, large pieces of landscaping should have a reasonable distance away from buildings to leave a safe gap. The HOA common areas and homeowner properties should have minimal dark spots during afternoons, especially at night.
8. Build a Strong Community
Strong and neighborly communities will always be the best at keeping crime away from their neighborhoods. Neighbors who care for each other will be on the lookout for the well-being of those around them.
HOAs should always do what they can to build tight-knit neighborhoods and help homeowners get to know each other. Residents who know each other can watch each other's homes while the other family is away. Plus, the more the community knows everyone else, the faster it will be for residents to pick out unusual visitors or suspicious activities in their area.
Contact Condominium Associates
A safe and secure community is a top priority for an HOA to prevent crime. Contact us today! Let us know how we can help.
