Safe as houses?

Security is such a hot topic in South Africa, instantly triggering fear in people, causing them to share war stories and wring their hands in despair.

(side note: hand wringing is not a strategy, action against a plan is!)

Fear is one of our most uncomfortable emotions, which is why, for better or worse, it's one of our most powerful motivators.

Given the very real risk security can pose, let’s look at what the fear of being unsafe means for property investors:

• Tenants are more likely to rent a unit in a secure complex as opposed to a free standing house

Here are some tips to make your tenants feel safe as houses:

• Change your mindset to view your security improvements as if you are the one wanting to break in. Walk around your property identifying possible weak spots.

• Layered security works best. For example, have an electric gate, walls with electric fencing, then beams, then burglar bars, etc. Idea being that you create inconvenient multiple hurdles to overcome

• Install security cameras. Looking for a more affordable option? Takealot sell really nifty little security dummy cameras that look exactly like a security camera but actually, they are solar lights activated by motion. Perfect for our load shedding lives!

• Security doors blocking the bedrooms off from the rest of the house is a good option if the house layout supports that

• Dogs are a great alarm system, consider allowing your tenants to keep small dogs that sleep inside

• Sign up with a local security company and provide your tenants with panic buttons

Finally, reassure your tenant that while there are very real threats to navigate, living in a constant state of anxiety is not good on any level. Fear robs us of today because we spend all our time and energy obsessing about things that do not currently and may not ever exist.

Do what you can then encourage everyone involved to relax, the future will take care of itself. It always does 😊