Security for a Cape Town home you don't live in

What changes when nobody lives there

An occupied house gives itself away as occupied: lights at night, cars in the drive, bins going out, a neighbour who sees you. Remove all of that and the house tells a passer-by something different. Nobody is home, and nobody would notice for a while.

The risk is not only break-ins. Small problems also grow unseen: a burst pipe, a failed alarm battery, a gate motor that stopped working, an overgrown garden that signals neglect. Someone has to look at the house regularly, and someone has to be able to act when something is wrong.

• Lived-in signs fade: no lights, no post collected, no movement.
• Problems go unreported: alarms beep, batteries die, nobody hears.
• Keys are a weak point: who holds them, and who has copies?
• You cannot look yourself: you depend on what others tell you.

Four different jobs, often confused

People say 'security' and mean four quite different things. Be clear about which of them you are buying, because each answers a different question.

Alarm response means a monitored alarm and a company that sends someone when it triggers. It reacts to an event. It does not tell you the garden flooded or a window was left open.

On-site guarding means an officer at or around the property for set hours. It is visible and continuous, and it costs the most.

Patrols or visits mean an officer checks the property at set intervals and reports. It sits between the two.

A caretaker or property manager looks after the house itself: airing, maintenance, the pool, the garden, contractors. Most are not security companies and do not claim to be. Many empty homes need a caretaker and a security layer, not one or the other.

• Alarm response: reacts when something triggers.
• Guarding: a person present for agreed hours.
• Patrols or visits: a person checks at intervals.
• Caretaker: looks after the building, not the threat.

Estates, complexes and standalone houses

If your home is in a security estate or complex, the estate's guarding already covers the gate and the common areas. It does not usually cover the inside of your house or your boundary wall. Ask the managing agent what the estate does and does not do for an empty unit.

If your home is a standalone house in a suburb, nothing is shared. You will need your own arrangement, and neighbours or a local street initiative may help but cannot be relied on to act for you.

Insurance and an empty house

Many home insurance policies treat a house that is unoccupied for a set number of days differently from an occupied one. Terms vary between insurers and policies. Some ask for alarm systems, regular inspections or a named person who checks the property.

We cannot tell you what your policy says. Read the wording on unoccupied or vacant property, and ask your broker or insurer in writing what you must do when you are away for weeks or months, and what they will accept as proof. Do this before you leave, not after a loss.

What reporting to ask for

From abroad, the report is the service. You cannot walk round the house, so what arrives in your inbox is your only view of it. Agree the format before you sign.

A useful report is simple: the date and time of each visit or shift, who attended, what was checked, and anything unusual, in plain language. Photos help where a problem is found. Ask how fast you will be told if something is wrong, and by whom, and what happens if you cannot be reached.

• How often: after every visit, daily or weekly?
• What is in it: times, names, what was checked, exceptions.
• Evidence: photos or logs, not just a tick.
• Urgent problems: who calls you, and on which number or app?
• Language and time zone: what will you actually read, and when?

How to judge a provider from abroad

You cannot meet them at the gate, so rely on things you can check. Security businesses and officers in South Africa must be registered with the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA). Its website has business and individual verification pages, so you can check a company's registration yourself before paying anything.

Then ask for the arrangement in writing: the service, the hours or visit frequency, the report, what is excluded, the price, the notice period and who is accountable. Ask how officers are supervised. A guard on his own, with nobody checking the guard, is the weak point in any service. Ask whether you may see a sample report. Ask for a reference you can contact.

A simple checklist

Work through this before you leave, or from abroad by email. Add Mtunzini to your list if you wish: we are a family-run, PSiRA-registered guarding company in Cape Town that actively manages its officers with field supervision. For anything specific to an empty home, such as key custody or the format of reports, ask us what we can offer, and ask any other provider the same questions.

• Decide which of the four jobs you need, and who does each.
• Check the provider's PSiRA registration on the PSiRA website.
• Get the service, hours, report and exclusions in a written contract.
• Ask how officers are supervised and who checks them.
• Ask for a sample report before you commit.
• Agree who holds keys, how they are logged and how they are returned.
• Write down an emergency chain: who is called first, second and third.
• Ask your insurer in writing what an unoccupied property requires.
• Ask whether the provider will coordinate with your caretaker.
• Test it once: ask for a visit and a report, and judge what arrives.

Questions people ask

Sources

• Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA): home page with individual and business verification links

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