Security Camera Questions

[Alecia Loveless]

Just bought a 4-plex a month ago. I gave tenants a brief survey and all indicated they use coin-op laundry. However so far in my visits to property I have only received $1.00 in change from the machines.

The former owners live next door and know I live a few towns away. Not to accuse anyone of anything but it seems likely something is amiss with my collection of the revenue from the machines or someone else is collecting it.

I am thinking of placing some security cameras in the laundry room and in the parking lot as well as motion sensor lights as the lot currently has no lights and I’d like to lessen my liability from theft, falls, undesirable people, etc.

Should I offer one of the tenants $10-$15 a month to link into their WiFi for this or consider this some of the "other" CapEx we account for in our budgeting when we analyze the property and pay the full $70 a month for my own WiFi which I would then install in my basement?

Also do I need to send out a notification to the tenants that security cameras will be going up and that their intention is for security reasons, not to monitor the tenants?

I think I can purchase about 5-6 cameras to monitor the entire property so it’s not a major operation.

Thank you for helping me clarify this issue.

[Alecia Loveless]

@Matthew Currently there is no lock to the laundry room door but that would be an easy solution unless a tenant has the keys and not the neighbor.  Although yesterday, Sunday, one tenant notified me someone did laundry because he had a problem with a ventilation issue, and sure enough when I got there there was money! So either I beat whoever is taking it or timed it right.