Are your tenants involved in a lot of criminal activities? We are sure such behavior causes a lot of problems for you. So how do you prevent this and ensure that your property is crime-free?In the past four years, violent crime has been on the rise, and the stats show an increase of almost 30%. There are almost 64% Americans who are aware of this, and the rest probably have made wrong assumptions so as not to be stressed out.
As a property manager, crime on your rental properties can be quite an issue at times. Though most of the illegal activities are limited to drugs, abuse and robberies, it can affect you property value and even cause damage. The end result is that you have to evict tenants, which is no easy task.
Recently, a new Crime Free Multi Housing program has been launched that has produced quite effective results in Texas. In the areas where this program has been introduced, criminal rates have dropped by 26%, which is quite an effective number.
The Crime Free program comprises of three main steps, and allows both the police and property managers to get involved. Together, these two work and try to create an environment in which drugs are utilized to a lesser extent and criminal rates are lowered.
If you want to gain Crime-Free certification for your property, you will have to complete all the three phases. While doing this, you will be monitored by the police department. Obviously, the program is enforced by you, but the residents also realize their responsibilities and make efforts to maintain an acceptable environment.
All the residents have to sign a certificate that clearly sates they will neither get involved in nor facilitate criminal activities on the property. The entire property is also examined by the police, who ensure that all windows, doors and locks comply by the set standards. The same holds for exterior lighting, control procedures and maintenance.
As of now, the Crime Free program is available in a limited number of cities. Since the results achieved with it have been quite good, efforts are being made to launch the program on a wider scale.
The efforts of the police department in this regard have been recognized twice on the national level, which serves as proof of the program’s effectiveness.
