An empty commercial property is a target. The moment a building stands vacant – between tenants, during a refurbishment, or while a sale goes through, it stops being an asset that looks after itself and becomes one that needs actively protecting. Thieves, squatters and fly-tippers all understand this, and your insurer does too: cover changes the moment a property is unoccupied.
This guide explains the real risks a vacant commercial property faces, what your insurance will expect of you, and the layered approach that keeps an empty building secure. It draws on our experience of protecting empty buildings and open sites across the North West.
What counts as a vacant property?
A vacant property is any building or area of land left unoccupied for a period – offices, warehouses, industrial units, retail units, car parks or land. Commercial premises fall vacant for all sorts of reasons: a lease ending, a sale or relocation, refurbishment, liquidation, or a development awaiting its next phase. However it happens, the clock starts the day the building empties. In Great Britain there are an estimated 165,000 empty commercial premises, according to research by Habitat for Humanity – a great many of them under-protected.
The real risks an empty building faces
- Squatting and unauthorised occupation – once someone is inside, removing them is slower and more expensive than keeping them out.
- Metal theft – copper piping, cabling, lead and fixtures are stripped for scrap, usually causing far more damage than their scrap value.
- Arson and vandalism – empty buildings attract both, and a fire in an unoccupied property can spread unchecked.
- Fly-tipping – open yards and car parks become dumping grounds, leaving the owner with the clearance bill.
- Undetected damage – a burst pipe, a leaking roof or a broken window can go unnoticed for weeks, turning a small problem into a major one.
Your insurance obligations – the part lot of owners miss
Vacancy changes your insurance position, and not in your favour. Most commercial policies reduce cover once a property has been empty for 30 to 45 days, and attach conditions to vacant premises: regular documented inspections, the building secured to a defined standard, services isolated, and sometimes alarms or guarding. Miss those conditions and a claim can be reduced or refused.
There is legislation to be aware of, too. Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMOs) allow local authorities to take control of properties left unoccupied for a prolonged period. Securing a vacant property is not only about keeping intruders out but it is about keeping your cover valid and meeting your obligations as an owner.
How to secure a vacant commercial property
No single measure secures an empty building; the right protection layers several, matched to the risk. The measures we typically put in place include:
- Service drain-down – isolating gas and electrical circuits and draining the water system, so the building is safe for contractors and will not suffer a burst-pipe flood over a vacant winter.
- Boarding and steel screening – steel screens or timber board over windows and doors deter break-ins and antisocial behaviour.
- Clearances – removing valuables and combustible or flammable material makes the site less attractive to thieves and lowers the fire risk.
- Secure key management – keys held securely with controlled, logged access, so the property can be reached without compromising its security.
- Documented inspections – regular, logged inspections confirm the building is intact, catch damage early, and provide the record insurers expect.
- Alarms and CCTV – self-powered motion alarms and remotely monitored cameras alert a response team to movement, day or night.
- CCTV towers – rapid-deploy, self-powered towers secure large external or vacant areas within hours, with no mains power required, capturing intruders before they reach an asset.
- Vehicle restriction – barriers and gates deny access to travellers and fly-tippers.
- Mobile patrol – a marked unit arriving at varying times is a strong, cost-effective deterrent, well suited to empty buildings and construction sites.
- Guarding – manned guarding or a waking watch for the highest-risk sites, delivered by SIA-licensed officers under our SIA Approved Contractor
Why securing an empty property matters
- Preventing vandalism and theft – security measures deter the criminals an unsecured building attracts.
- Avoiding legal liability – an owner can be held responsible if someone is injured on an unsecured vacant property.
- Preserving asset value – a well-protected property is less likely to suffer the damage that erodes its market value.
- Meeting insurance requirements – insurers cover vacant properties only once their conditions are met.
- Community responsibility – a secured, maintained building draws less trouble to its neighbours than a visibly derelict one.
In practice
When an unauthorised encampment accessed a client’s site, our team managed the situation on the ground – liaising with the authorities, protecting the property, and securing the access points once the site was cleared. You can read the full traveller removal case study for how we handle these situations.
Work through it step by step
For a checklist version you can work through on site, see our vacant property security checklist. In the colder months, securing vacant properties in winter covers the seasonal risks – frozen pipes, longer hours of darkness and the Christmas shutdown, in more detail. And when you are ready, our vacant property security services page sets out how we can manage the whole process for you.
Secure your empty building before it becomes a problem
The cheapest time to secure a vacant property is the day it falls empty, not the day after an incident. We will assess your site, tell you what your insurer is likely to require, and set out a proportionate way to protect it – managing the whole process from drain-down to monitoring. Call 0330 024 9121 or request a site assessment.
Frequently asked questions
Is squatting in a commercial property illegal?
Squatting in a residential building is a criminal offence, but squatting in a commercial property is generally a civil matter – which means removing occupiers can take time and a court process. Preventing access in the first place is far quicker and cheaper than eviction.
What does insurance require for an empty property?
It varies by insurer, but common conditions include regular documented inspections, the building secured to a defined standard, services drained down, and sometimes alarms or guarding. Check your policy’s vacant-property clause – the conditions usually bite after 30 to 45 days.
How quickly can you secure a vacant site?
Quickly, sometimes on the same day. Boarding, drain-down and patrols can be arranged at short notice, and rapid-deploy CCTV towers can be on site without waiting for a mains power supply. The priority on any newly vacant site is to close off the easy access points first.
Which areas do you cover?
Wirral, Liverpool and Merseyside, Chester and Cheshire West, Deeside and the wider North West, from our base in Bromborough.
