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Property security assessment checklist
Walk your own property with this list before anyone quotes it: the fence line, the lights, every door, the cameras, the lot and the hours nobody is around. Print the sheet version and carry it along; it’s free.
Printable checklist
Why walk it yourself first
Most weak spots on a property can be seen from the parking lot. A gate that never quite latches, a fixture that went dark in the spring, a camera that points at the sky. You pass them every day, and that is exactly why they stop registering.
This checklist slows the walk down. Take it around the property once in daylight and once after dark, mark what you find, and you end up with an honest map of where the site is exposed. Bring the marked-up copy to a free walkthrough and the conversation starts where the risk really sits.
It’s written for property and facility managers, building engineers and night leads: the people who know the site better than any outside visitor. No security background needed, just a clipboard and an honest eye.
Fencing, gates and lighting
Start at the outside edge and work in. The perimeter tells you how easy it is to get onto the property without anyone noticing.
- Fence walked end to end, with cut wire, gaps at the base and loose panels marked
- Gates latch and lock, and chains and padlocks aren’t rusted through
- Pallets, bins and parked trailers kept clear of the fence so nobody gets a step up
- Shrubs cut back from doors, windows and the fence line
- Every door, dock and walkway has a working light
- Timers and sensors match the current sunset, not last season’s
- Dark stretches between fixtures drawn on a site map
The after-dark pass matters most here. Lights that seem fine in daylight can be dead, blocked by branches or switched off by a timer nobody touched since spring. Each dark patch you mark is a candidate for a patrol stop or a camera view.
Doors, docks and who gets in
Count every way into the building, not only the front entrance. Then look at how each one is controlled, and who controls it once the day staff leave.
- Main entrance locks on a schedule, and someone confirms it each night
- Side and rear doors swing shut and latch without help
- Emergency exits closed, never wedged or taped open
- Dock doors and roll-ups down and secured when not in use
- Badge, fob and key holders listed, with the date the list was last checked
- Visitor and vendor sign-in point named, including after hours
- Roof hatches and ground-floor windows locked
Keys earn their own line. If nobody can say how many are out or who holds them, write that down. Old tenants, past vendors and staff who left years ago are often still carrying a way in.
Cameras and the parking lot
If cameras are already up, check what they really show. Stand beneath each one, pull up the live view and compare it with what you expected to see.
- Each camera powers on, records and shows the right date and time
- Views aimed at the gate, the dock and the drive lanes, where a face or a plate would actually show up
- Entrances, the dock and the fence line each have a view
- Footage can be found fast when something happens
- Lot lit from the entrance to the far rows
- Vehicle entrances controlled, or at least on camera
- Places where a car can sit out of sight marked
Recorded footage tells you what happened. When you want someone acting on what a camera sees while it’s still happening, that’s the job of remote video monitoring, which usually runs on the cameras you already own.
After hours and past incidents
Write down who is on the property once the offices empty: late lab staff, a night shift, cleaning crews, drivers waiting on a dock. Then write down when the site is truly empty. Both lists shape the coverage you need.
- Hours the site sits empty, weekdays and weekends listed separately
- Overnight deliveries, trucks or drivers waiting on site
- Staff or vendors who stay late or arrive before dawn
- Break-ins, theft, vandalism and trespass from the past year
- Repeats: the same door, the same row of the lot, the same night of the week
- Police reports filed, with dates
Small incidents count. A cut padlock or one smashed car window in the back row shows you where someone is already testing the site.
Getting police and fire to the right door
When something goes wrong at 2 a.m., the clock starts with a phone call. Make sure whoever is on site, and anyone watching your cameras, can send help to the right spot without a delay at the gate.
- Building numbers big and lit enough for a responding car to spot in the dark
- Police and fire can get past the gate, by shared code or a key box
- Emergency contact list current, with a backup for every name
- One person named to take the call when an alarm trips after hours
- Site map marking entrances, utility shutoffs and hydrants
Turning your notes into a plan
Sort what you marked into two piles. Some fixes are yours: a bulb, a latch, a trimmed hedge, a camera turned toward the gate. Do those first. They cost little and close real gaps.
The rest points toward coverage. A dark yard with trucks arriving overnight calls for an officer on post through security guard services. A quiet building with a long fence line leans toward mobile patrol or cameras. Bring the checklist to our walkthrough and we’ll turn it into a written quote with the hours, posts and patrol stops matched to what you found. Our walkthrough prep guide lists what else to have on hand.
A few useful answers
Common questions
How long does a property security assessment take?
Two short loops cover it: a daytime pass and a second pass once it’s dark. A single building goes quickly; a campus or a large yard takes longer because every gate, dock and lot gets its own look.
Who should walk the property with the checklist?
Whoever knows the site after hours, plus the person who manages keys and badges. A night lead or building engineer usually spots things the day team never sees.
Do we have to finish the checklist before asking for a quote?
No. It helps, but our free walkthrough covers the same ground. If you’ve marked up a copy, bring it and we’ll start from your notes.
How often should we repeat the assessment?
Once a year, and again after a break-in, a change in tenants or operating hours, or new construction on the property. The shift in sunset times each fall is a good prompt to redo the after-dark pass.
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