Managing Vacant Buildings

Modern glass facade high-rise office building

Vacant buildings are frequent targets for fires and vandalism by juveniles, vagrants, and arsonists. If left unsupervised, vacant buildings are often used for playgrounds or sleeping quarters where the threat of a fire started by a juvenile is particularly high.

If the exterior of a building and the adjacent grounds are allowed to deteriorate, the probability of arson and vandalism increases. A run-down appearance may cause the perpetrator to rationalize that no one will lose anything or care if the property is destroyed.

Unoccupied properties including those intended to be sold and visited only by realtors or security personnel, at certain times of the day, are also exposed to similar risks as vacant properties.

Risk Issues

Vacant properties are inherently vulnerable to arson and vandalism.
Deterioration and lack of maintenance will make the property more attractive to perpetrators.
Lack of proper maintenance can cause further deterioration and damage (e.g. water pipes freezing during winter, mould growth, etc.), resulting in further loss of value or increased costs to make tenable in the future.
Vacant properties can represent an ‘attractive nuisance’ for children and vagrants—presenting potential liability exposures to the owner

Risk Management Guidelines

The risk can vary significantly depending on the site, the surrounding properties, and the neighbourhood in which the property is situated. These factors should be considered when selecting the appropriate risk controls measures.

Maintaining Fire Protection

Properly functioning and maintained fire alarm and sprinkler systems play a very important role in maintaining vacant/unoccupied buildings because they are usually the only form of protection/notification if a fire were to occur. Therefore, it is imperative to adhere to a periodic schedule of inspections, tests, and maintenance to ensure the equipment is in good repair.

The following are some suggested strategies to help reduce the potential for fire losses at vacant/unoccupied buildings:

If the building has a sprinkler system:

Maintain the sprinkler protection in full working order, including supervision and regular maintenance and testing (as required by the fire code);

Assure sprinkler valves are maintained open (supervise and lock); and
Nominal heat (above 5° C) should be maintained to prevent pipes from freezing. Supervised monitoring of building heat is advisable. An alternative source of heat (e.g. a portable gas heater) should also be kept ready, at another location, for use in case of heating failure. Portable heaters should be used only in emergency situations, and not as the permanent source of heating.

If the building is not heated and sprinklers are not required, all water piping should be drained and shut off. The sprinkler riser should be kept from freezing by heating the base of the riser or, alternatively, the water should be shut-off at the property line.
Remove unnecessary combustible materials, both inside and outside of the building.
Remove excess vegetation and shrubs from the property.

Maintain the outward appearance of the building to deter arsonists and vandals.
Remove all waste materials from the premises.
Maintain clear access routes to the building to enable fire department access.
Power down all equipment and disconnect all unnecessary power supplies.

Maintaining Physical Protection and Supervision

Another critical component of vacant/unoccupied building protection is the maintenance of physical protection and supervision such as:

Conducting regular (minimum weekly) visits to the property to ensure all is in order. All areas of the building and the outside property should be inspected. Logs should be kept of the visits and use of a checklist is advisable.
Security systems should be in place to supervise the property. This includes monitored electronic intrusion alarm systems—with audible local alarms. Also consider security cameras, and post signs indicating property is under surveillance.
Ensure all doors and unprotected openings (e.g. windows and skylights) are locked and secured.

Lock all inside doors separating building sections as well.
Provide adequate external perimeter lighting at night.
Consideration should be given to boarding-up the property, subject to local authority constraints using timber of adequate durability or corrugated iron. For long-term unoccupancy, bricking-up rather than boarding-up may prove a cost-effective solution.

Additional Protection Measures

Maintain proper snow removal practices in winter, including roof areas where heavy snow loads can cause roof collapse. There is an increased risk of roof collapse due to roof snow accumulation in unheated buildings since the amount of snow melting on the roof is significantly reduced.
Maintain on-call personnel to be available to assist in emergency situations, such as fires, boiler shutdown, snow removal, or other situations.

Young black businesswoman in office working on laptop

Podcast

Risk in Context Podcast: Women embracing opportunities in the risk and insurance industry

03/05/2024

Gender diversity is critical in fostering innovation, bringing together different perspectives, and creating a more inclusive work environment.

Article

Snow/ice maintenance and winter property inspections

02/06/2024

Aerial view of Tokyo cityscape with Fuji mountain in Japan.

Article

Unfreezing your assets: protecting your organization from winter storms

02/06/2024

Article

Electrical vehicle chargers and fire safety

02/01/2024

Although electric vehicles (EVs) currently make up a small share of passenger vehicles in the country, Canada is aiming for all new light-duty cars and passenger trucks sold by 2035 to be zero-emission. To accomplish this, 20% of vehicles sold by 2026 and 60% by 2030, will need to be electric.