Security


How To Manage The Security Risk Of Vacant Properties The 2025 Charterfield’s Insurance Gap Report1 has found that


88% of the commercial properties it surveyed were underinsured and with an estimated 165,000 privately-owned commercial properties vacant in Great Britain2


, facilities managers are under


increased pressure to secure what’s technically ‘not in use’. Barry Dawson, Group Managing Director of First Response Group says there is a clear trend in increased activity and increased risk,


from ever


more contested ‘empty spaces’ and offers support and advice for those responsible for ‘vacant but not forgotten’ properties.


With rising demand for temporary land use, particularly driven by the booming logistics sector, vacant and unsecured plots across the UK have become hotspots for unauthorised encampments,


The response plan should align with a 12-month managers


rolling to adjust


framework, security


resource deployment, allowing measures, and stakeholder fly-tipping,


metal theft, cable theft, and other unlawful activity. The threat landscape for now spans everything from trespassing and squatting to arson and structural damage, making it essential to shift the perception of vacant properties from dormant, low-risk assets to active responsibilities with dynamic and often complex risk profiles.


How Can Facilities Managers Step Up Their Actions?


We need to go beyond the basic when it comes to vacant property. The risk profile of the property can change at any given time, season or external factor, such as events or local unauthorised encampments. That’s why it’s important to keep a rolling risk assessment rather than a static, annual review.


When a property becomes vacant, managers should immediately notify their insurance provider to discuss coverage options, secure access points and coordinate other services such as the council or police if the level of risk determines it necessary. Even vacant properties carry a duty of care to lawful visitors and to trespassers under the Occupiers Liability Act 1957 and 1984, and if not correctly adhered to, could result in legal claims.


Developing A Tiered Response Plan


A tiered response plan can help to manage the shifting security risks associated with vacant properties and to help determine when third-party support may be necessary. This plan should


36 fmuk


coordination in line with seasonal patterns and local intelligence. For example, Q2 and Q3 often bring increased risks of fly-tipping and unauthorised encampments, which may require


enhanced perimeter Ongoing review of


include risk assessment to categorise sites as low, moderate, or high risk. Low-risk properties are typically short-term vacancies in stable areas; moderate-risk sites may be vacant for longer periods or located in areas with increasing social or environmental pressure; high-risk sites are typically those near vulnerable locations or with a history of targeted incidents such as arson, theft, or illegal occupation.


temporary barriers, or smart surveillance technologies.


protection, best


practices, combined with structured incident reporting and post- incident analysis, helps ensure the strategy remains responsive, compliant, and aligned with the real-world risk environment.


What’s New In Securing Vacant Spaces With Technology?


As AI integrates with CCTV, operators are benefitting from advanced video analytics that can distinguish between human and animal intruders, identify loitering versus legitimate passersby, and track day/night activity patterns. This results in fewer false positives and faster, more intelligent responses, and ultimately lower security-related costs.


Wireless, smart alarms can now be deployed virtually anywhere, powered by batteries or solar energy, and integrated with cloud- based FM platforms that unify surveillance, access control, and environmental monitoring into a single real-time interface. In the context of short-term use or partial occupancy, this level of integration can be both cost-effective and operationally seamless.


Now is the time to audit existing protocols and implement a rolling plan tailored to risk level, seasonality, and site-specific factors,


shifting the focus from operational strategic risk management.


1: https://charterfields.com/mind-the-gap-underinsurance-report-reveals-major-risk-to-businesses/ 2: https://www.habitatforhumanity.org.uk/blog/2021/05/repurposing-empty-spaces-research/


caretaking to


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