How To Reduce Crime?

Question

Hey guys, we are buying a 38 unit in Syracuse which used to be full of crime. It was shut down by the city and now we will have a fresh start. I want to make sure we do not have the same problem as the previous owners. We are not able to turn this into higher end or even market rent. We will be remodeling the entire building but we're still going to be stuck with section 8 & public assistance tenants. How have you guys been able to reduce crime in your buildings? This is one building, 38 units all contained.

Here is what we have in mind, please let me know if you guys have had any experience with these.

Key Card Entry - Potentially 2 cards issued per tenant so they aren't able to just buzz in people or give out their card. Or maybe just 1 car per person on the lease and access to a 24/7 emergency number for a key code?

On-Site Manager - On site manager / security. Give them a free apartment right at the entry level in the front of the building. They would stop people from hanging out in the front of the building & hallways. Can we even stop people from loitering in the hallways?

Cameras - Security cameras at all entrances, in the hallways, etc.

Lighting - No dark areas, bright hallway lighting, bright entry lights, big clean & open front of the building.

Tenant Screening - This really is harder. We are taking section 8 tenants which tend to have a higher volume of individuals likely to bring or commit crimes. On 1-4 unit properties it's not too big of a deal but on a 38 unit we may get a few more bad eggs than we anticipate.

Damaso Bautista · Answer

@Ronald Starusnak

Another thing you can do is contact the Community Oriented Policing section of your local police agency.

With that unit you can put in place things like:

Pre authorized loitering forms. This along with appropriate signage gives the police department the authority to arrest someone for loitering on your property. It also gives you and your property manager the ability to identify the problem tenants.

You and COPS team will also work closely with the section 8 investigator for your area. The Section 8 investigator will process the taking away of section 8 from tenants that the COPS team can document through calls for service and field interview cards that the unwanted subjects are coming to visit or hang out and are involved in the unwanted crime.

You and the COPS team can also build relationships with the great tenants who only want to have a nice, clean and crime free place to live. It will only be with their cooperation that your building will be completely nice and crime free.

By no means is this a owner hands off relationship so I hope you are up to the challenge.

Any community whether it is section 8 or high end all want a safe clean and crime free place to live. Quality of life issues are at the foremost.

Good luck and you can DM me if you need further assistance.

John Corey · Answer

I would start with tenant screening. Just because someone is on Section 8 does not mean they are prone to crime, etc. Be really strict. Set the rents low enough that you are flooded with good quality applicants. Be very clear what your policy is for screening and then screen them in order. Anyone who passes is accepted. Share the screening process details with each applicant. Many who know they will not pass will decline to apply. Expect HUD will mystery shop the property. Keep your process legal. No discrimination. Just focus on the right criteria (income, family size, references, what ever works and is legal for the market). Know your state and local regulations.If the place had specific types of crime before, see if the police can advise. Is there a way to encourage them to stop by unannounced? One property I know agreed to rent a unit to a police person. They parked their cruiser outside their unit each night. The drug dealers found it was bad for business.

Dustin Verley · Answer

Ronald... I know you mentioned it's one building containing 38 units. But if you decide to build out the community, what about making it a gated community? Or maybe starting a Neighborhood Watch community and implementing the necessary signage COULD help deter some of the crime.

Dennis M. · Answer

Looks like you are on the right track

Tj Hines · Answer

@Ronald Starusnak how long do you plan to hold this project? Sounds like this deal may not be in the greatest area. Not only should you be thinking of how to reduce crime but most importantly even if you reduce the crime in the complex, what would be your exit strategy? Is the area gentrifying? Is it up and coming? Is it in the path of progress? Are people migrating to that area or leaving that area? I would get answers to all these questions before moving forward with this deal, unless you have a ton of experience dealing with these types of projects. Take care. Good luck with it.

Will Chamberlin · Answer

Is it the one on James St down by the highways? Really rough area. I hope you can make a difference.

Brent Paul · Answer

What about the surrounding area around the building?  If they are kept up pretty well and your building is that should keep things in check.  Make sure you have some type of language in the lease about how you deal with trouble tenants that cause police response, etc.  If it's well you known you have zero tolerance for this type of behavior word will get around.   Also make sure you look into the laws as they vary by state for section 8.  In some cases violating their lease can cause them to lose their section 8 eligibility.  Again that varies by state, but it's something to keep in mind.

A good PM that stays on top of things at the property and screening the tenants should help quite a bit.

I agree with others about reaching out to local police.

Tony Lin · Answer

Tenant screening. Accept lower rent to get more traffic and select better tenants. You'll take in less income in the beginning but then you can change the community then slowly.

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