Security is an indispensable concern for potential residents of a gated community. An effective security system is what fascinates and retains residents.

Be mindful of and avoid security slip-ups at your gated community to keep your community as attractive as possible to new residents. Below are seven security mistakes to evade to protect both your residents and your reputation.

Unsecured Entries

Do not overlook any entry to your gated community. Merely putting a gate in place is not enough to secure an entry point. Sophisticated intruders can manipulate electronically controlled entrances. If a gate is your only security protection, it might not hold up in some circumstances.

Secure every entry with a security officer and an access station to keep track of who is going in and out.

No Direct Security Contact

Provide direct security contact to all residents in your community. This should be a contact that residents notify immediately when they see anything out of the ordinary.

Without a direct security contact for your residents, intruders could be left to run free within your community for an extended period of time even after residents have noticed their presence.

For peace of mind and optimum security, residents should have a specific representative that responds immediately to security concerns.

Occasional Absence of Security Officers

Prospective intruders spy on gated communities to look out for a security fissure to exploit. You create a security fissure when you allow for even a temporary absence of security officers at an access point.

Schedule security officer changes properly to guarantee that access points and security stations are never left unmanned by security personnel.

Lack of Educational Resources for Residents

Do not overlook the importance of educating your residents concerning security decorum. Residents at gated communities appreciate any security efforts taken by management and are willing to cooperate with decorum.

Hold a community meeting and issue brochures and literature notifying residents of security procedures at access points. Residents need to know what to do if they want to invite guests to the community without compromising security, so make sure they are well informed.

 Lack of Research and Awareness of Risks

A risk assessment is indispensable to anticipating and correcting security risks. Not only should a risk assessment pinpoint possible security fissures, but it should also include an analysis of crime in the area neighboring the community.

As the owner or manager of a gated community, introduce yourself to local law enforcement personnel and create a communication channel with them. Be sure to ask for advice on how to make the most of security at your community, and ask them for information on the particular crime risks in the area.

Incomplete Visitor Logbook

Even visitors who are invited to your community by residents should have to sign in to visitor logbooks that are organized digitally with a visitor management system. The more comprehensive and complete visitor logbooks are at your community, the more secure your community will be.

Visitors should be required to show an official form of identification when they sign a visitor logbook to ensure that you know who is coming and going. Visitor logbook records should show not only the identification of visitors but also the time period during which they were in the community.

Unclear Allocation of Responsibilities

Your security staff members need to fully understand their responsibilities. Also, your residents need to understand their responsibilities when it comes to securing their properties.

Layout your security policy in detail. Vague provision of responsibilities among staff and residents leads to security lapses.