Multifamily and Hospitality Property Security

The coverage list is consistent across managed multifamily property. Leasing and management offices, building lobbies and entries, mail and package rooms, amenity spaces, fitness centers, pool areas, surface parking, garages and vehicle gates, and trash and recycling areas.

Access control follows the same list. Building entries, amenity doors, package rooms, fitness and pool access, garage pedestrian doors, stair doors and mechanical spaces. Credentials get tied to the property management system so a move-out revokes access without a manual step.

Cameras in these spaces are there to document what happened in a shared area. They are aimed at the amenity, the entry or the parcel shelf, never into a unit doorway or a private space.

Parcel volume made the package room the busiest shared space on most properties, and it generates more complaints than anything else we hear about.

The design that works has three parts. Controlled access so only residents and authorized carriers get in, with carrier access logged separately from resident access. Camera coverage aimed at the parcel shelves and the door, close enough to read a label region and identify a person taking an item. And retention long enough that a theft reported four days later still has video, which in practice means longer than the default a recorder ships with.

Locker systems reduce the problem substantially, and where a property has them we cover the locker bank and the room entry rather than trying to watch every door.

Amenity spaces fail on authorization, not on cameras. Fitness centers and pool areas get used by people who are not residents, and after posted hours. Credentialed doors with schedules fix most of it, and coverage of the entry gives the manager something to act on.

Vehicle gates are tailgated constantly. A gate camera with plate recognition on entry and exit turns a general complaint into a specific record, and it identifies the vehicles that are consistently following others through.

Trash and recycling areas are worth a camera more often than people expect. Illegal dumping by non-residents and scavenging are recurring costs, and one camera usually resolves who is responsible.

Hotels add a back of house layer. Service corridors, loading areas, employee entrances, kitchen and laundry access, and storage rooms all carry loss exposure and staff safety considerations.

Key control is the other hospitality-specific item. Master key accountability, credentialed access to key storage, and logged issuance are what make an internal investigation possible. Electronic locks handle guest rooms as a separate system with its own audit trail, and we design the property system to complement it rather than duplicate it.

Guest incident documentation is the practical output. Lobby, entry, elevator lobby, corridor entrance, pool and parking coverage with a defined retention period is what a risk manager needs when a claim arrives weeks later.

Shared-space video on a managed property needs a written policy, not just hardware. Post notice where cameras operate. Define who can view footage, which should be a short list. Log every view and export. Set retention deliberately with your counsel and write it into your operating procedures.

Audio deserves a separate decision. Recording audio in common areas raises state consent questions that are separate from video, and it should be reviewed by your attorney before it is enabled. We design the system either way and leave the decision where it belongs.