ASSA, part of ASSA ABLOY Security Solutions, a UK division of ASSA ABLOY, the physical security product company, has released a guide on the issues faced by councils and housing associations when managing void properties. Titled ‘How do you protect void properties?’ you can download the guide at www.assa.co.uk/cliqremotevoidwhitepaper.
According to the Department for Communities and Local Government, around 610,000 housing association or local authority-owned homes are empty – or about one eighth of the UK’s stock of five million. Given crimes against such properties, the paper outlines the main security threats to void properties, which include theft, arson, vandalism, fly-tipping and squatting. It then explores the management of access to void properties when carrying out maintenance work, which include sharing of keys, lost keys and money wasted.
The paper offers how the use of ASSA CLIQ Remote as a key management system can help to ward off security threats and allow more effective and streamlined management of maintenance workers, saving time and money. CLIQ Remote is an electro-mechanical lock system allowing only those with necessary authority to access the building. It enables owners to have control over keys, with members of staff allocated a single key and entry permissions that can be altered or time-defined.
The makers say that the product helps minimise administrative work, eliminating the need for staff to share keys and allowing administrators to block lost or stolen keys remotely. It comes with logistical benefits, according to the manufacturers, such as eliminating maintenance workers travelling to collect keys.
ASSA points out that its CLIQ Remote product saved Wilmott Dixon Partnership, who manage the Void Properties Department of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, about 40 working hours a week. This has led to cost savings, allowing maintenance and re-let times to be reduced.
The guide’s author Simon Wilson, National Sales Manager for ASSA CLIQ, Remote says: “Official statistics show that for every seven occupied UK homes owned by local authorities and housing associations, one stands empty. However, the recent Empty Homes England report says this number may be higher. This guide demonstrates the benefits of adopting ASSA CLIQ Remote to effectively manage security and access to void properties, saving local authorities and housing associations considerable amounts of time and money, whilst allowing them to generate an increase in rental income.”
