College is a unique experience for every student and can come with its own set of challenges. College students are young adults who are likely living alone for the first time with no direct supervision. While many students can handle this newfound freedom appropriately, some do not. It is important for student housing management teams to have a strategy in place to handle these issues in order to limit the number of complaints you receive and to reduce the community’s risk exposure.
How Remote Video Surveillance Makes a Difference
Amenities
Maintaining the safety of residents at student housing communities is important both while in their units and also when using amenities. Often the amenities of a property are the main selling point for prospective residents. However, some people fail to use them properly. Parties are typically a major concern for property staff. If a party in a residence or at a common area gets out of hand it can have a disastrous effect on the community. In 2012, the floor of an apartment collapsed and sent dozens of partygoers falling into the apartment below. During that incident 55 people were injured – many of which were serious. Luckily no deaths occurred, but it shows just how dangerous overcrowding can be. On a less severe note, property damage, after-hours violations and noise complaints are more common quality of life issues that present themselves at student housing – which, if not addressed, can lead to a reduction in resident satisfaction.
Pools
Pools, while technically an amenity, pose their own unique set of problems. A pool is usually the most used amenity at every student housing community and can quickly become a danger to residents if not used correctly. Most student housing communities have a strict list of pool rules that are to be followed at all times – and for good reason. These rules may include things like no pets at the pool, no glass bottles, and no swimming after dusk, among others. Something as minor as a glass bottle near the pool can result in thousands of dollars in damage if the broken glass falls into the water. Not only is it a safety hazard to residents, but it can result in the pool having to be drained and could damage the pump system.
Some communities have repeated issues with residents swimming after-hours. As you may well know, swimming at night increases a person’s risk of drowning, especially when the person has consumed alcohol. Overall, a pool can be a significant liability for a student housing community when not monitored appropriately.
Alcohol
Whether it is medical issues associated with alcohol, poor decision-making or a combination of both, the WideEye team remains vigilant to address these concerns. People who have consumed alcohol, especially in large amounts, pose a danger to themselves and often to others. Excessive drinking can cause a person to become disoriented. Being disoriented can cause a person to do things like wander the halls, stumble into a swimming pool or even pass out in a corner and not be found for an extended period of time. None of those scenarios are safe for anyone, especially for those drinking illegally under the age of 21. Underage drinking is unfortunately frequent among college students. When left unchecked, a seemingly harmless night of drinking can lead to something dangerous or deadly.
We take all alcohol-related issues extremely serious. Our team has seen it all and knows that what might look like a typical night of light drinking doesn’t always turn out as you would expect.
Crime
In 2016, there were more than 28,000 crimes reported on college campuses across the country. With amenities and many other areas open to students, the risk of something dangerous, illegal or simply irresponsible can not only sacrifice the safety of your residents but also create and unnecessary risk to the property owners. More times than we would like to admit, our team captures incidents of student residents doing things that would not please management or their parents. These issues range from seemingly harmless actions like hosting unwanted visitors to more serious offenses like theft, indecent exposure, vandalism, drug use or worse. If you manage a community that serves college students, you’re likely well aware these types of situations occur. If so, is your current security strategy doing anything about this? Implementing a real-time video monitoring strategy can help deter crime while increasing resident retention rates. It’s also a great selling feature for prospective residents and will help their families be at ease when sending their loved one to live in your community.
Solution:
WideEye Surveillance specializes in working with property management to minimize the times when a Monday turns into dealing with the misdeeds of the previous weekend. Our real-time video solution has proven effective in identifying a problem as it arises, quickly alerting the proper authorities and guiding them directly to the problem to handle it. Our system can cover virtually an entire property, helping you keep eyes on amenity centers, pools, hallways, gates and even elevators. Pairing your existing video cameras with a monitoring service that can act in real-time is a 21st-century solution to an age-old problem.
Contact WideEye Surveillance today at 844-494-3339 to learn how we can help you protect your property and reassure your residents that their safety is a priority.