No matter how much care you put into your California HOA community, every neighborhood is vulnerable to crime — especially if it lacks a high-quality neighborhood security system. HOA security should be strong enough to let residents feel safe and secure in their homes at all times.
Not only does a great neighborhood security system keep your residents safe, it minimizes financial liability on the part of owners and managers. It can also streamline community access and operations. But for this to happen, neighborhood security needs to be done right.
Neighborhood managers need to consider issues ranging from California HOA security camera privacy regulations to gate access control. If you want successful security for your HOA community, read on for our 6 top neighborhood security tips.
1. Choose the Right Neighborhood Security Cameras
When it comes to designing a complete HOA security system, neighborhood security cameras are essential. Neighborhood cameras let you monitor important areas in your community, quickly respond to situations, and access recorded footage for evidence.
When choosing neighborhood security camera systems, it’s important to carefully consider every aspect of installation. This is especially true in an HOA neighborhood, where security systems are held to high standards. Property managers need to consider camera placement, fields of view, image resolution, area lighting, camera weatherproofing, and cabling options.
Camera types are also important to think about. HOA security camera systems come in many different styles, and each camera has pros, cons, and specific uses that are important to take into consideration. HOA neighborhoods usually mix and match camera types to achieve the right security camera system.
The most common camera types include:
• Bullet Cameras
• Dome Cameras
• Turret Cameras
• PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom) Cameras
• Fisheye Cameras
• Multiple Sensor Cameras
• Doorbell Cameras
2. Position California Neighborhood Surveillance Cameras Wisely
Proper camera placement is everything in a neighborhood watch video surveillance system. The first consideration should be placing cameras in areas that are vulnerable to crime, intrusion, and misbehavior. Ideal areas for neighborhood watch surveillance cameras include:
• Community entrances and exits
• Front gates
• Parking garages
• Recreational facilities
• Administrative offices
However, HOA cameras can’t be placed everywhere. California surveillance laws only allow HOA camera installation in areas where residents do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy. This means it is illegal to install California HOA cameras in restrooms, locker rooms, changing areas, and inside residential units — as well as any place that includes residents’ doors and windows in a camera’s field of view.
To avoid legal consequences and ensure residents have a sense of privacy, it is crucial to place neighborhood video surveillance systems in the proper areas. Our security experts know how to design a California HOA camera system that provides powerful surveillance, while complying with all state and federal surveillance laws.
3. Make Sure Your HOA Pool Security Is On-Lock
HOA pool areas are at risk for crimes including theft, vandalism, and violent crimes. Pool areas are also susceptible to rowdiness and fights on the part of residents. That’s why it’s important to protect neighborhood pools with a complete security system. A combination of HOA pool security cameras, access control, and intrusion alarms lets you and your residents rest assured that all common pool areas are safe from crime.
HOA pool security systems are especially important for HOA pools without lifeguards on site. With continuously monitored neighborhood surveillance camera systems watching over a pool, security staff can quickly respond to anything that happens. Access control keeps unauthorized people out of your pool area, and prevents children and pets from accessing the pool unsupervised.
4. Consider a Neighborhood License Plate Camera
A neighborhood license plate camera system lets HOA managers keep track of every vehicle that enters and exits a neighborhood. License plate reader (LPR) cameras deter intrusion and theft, as well as making it easy to identify offenders if crimes are committed. As a central element of parking lot and garage security, LPRs are often integrated with alarms and gate access control, to keep out unauthorized vehicles and sound alarms if they try to enter.
We install wired and wireless neighborhood security cameras, including Flock neighborhood security LPR systems. Our license plate readers for HOA neighborhoods provide a wealth of features, from using smart technology to identity people objects, to sending real-time alerts to local law enforcement, to pairing with cloud-based apps to enable real-time security viewing and managing from anywhere.
With a neighborhood LPR system, you can:
• Streamline visitor management
• Search video footage
• Trace events back to specific vehicles
• White-list and watch-list certain license plates
• Control which vehicles have access to your neighborhood
5. Download a Neighborhood Security App
Cloud-based neighborhood security apps are the new technology that is sweeping the nation. By pairing a neighborhood security system with a smartphone app, residents and property managers can view and manage neighborhood security from their smartphone, no matter where they are. This lets HOA communities add convenience and eliminate the costs of security hardware installation.
With a mobile neighborhood security app, residents and managers can remotely see visitors at the gate or door and let them in, view comprehensive entry logs, and more. For property managers and security staff, an app provides access to a unified system that combines all access control, security cameras, and burglar alarms.
For property managers who want to establish high-level security and modern convenience in their HOA neighborhood, cloud-based security systems are the way to go. It is important to consider whether you want an app for managers and security staff only, or for all residents. Many apps enable managers to access a property dashboard, which simplifies and unifies security management. For residents, intercom apps that enable remote guest authentication and access control are popular.
6. Keep out Intruders with Gated Community Access Control
If you own or manage a gated HOA community, it is essential to secure your front gate so intruders can’t enter. Gated community access control provides peace of mind to tenants and property managers alike by requiring all visitors to have credentials.
Residential gate access control systems can include smart and prox card readers, gate intercom systems, and gate openers and closers. When installing gate openers, it’s important to choose ones that are built to resist rusting and contamination.
With gate entry intercom systems and a cloud-based smartphone app, HOA managers and residents can see guests at the gate and temporarily grant access, no matter where they are. Anytime a gate intercom is buzzed, intercom users can get a call on their smartphone, or on an interior tenant station. This ensures residents never have to miss a delivery or guest, and adds convenient security management for operators.
