How to protect your house of worship
For faith organisations, their property is, after its community, its most valuable asset. From the breathtakingly soaring buildings designed in inspire emotion the moment someone steps foot into them, through to the humble place where the locals congregate, faith organisations rely on their buildings to provide a safe place that people of like mind can gather and share their faith with one another.
And that is why it is so important to protect the buildings. Faith organisations tend to have buildings that are readily identifiable, and that, unfortunately, makes them a frequent target for vandalism and other damage to property. In addition to taking out an acceptable property insurance policy, faith organisations are also heavily consulting with experts to remove other risks out of their environments:
– Flameproofing
Places of worship are being advised to remove unnecessary or old cardboard and/ or wood objects to minimise the amount of flammable furniture and objects within the building. They are also being told to prioritise the implementation of best practices around automatic sprinkler system technology and smoke alarms.
– Understanding who has access to the buildings
To help prevent arson, faith organisations are best advised to develop an adequate sign-in system for all contract workers, or any other individuals that would have reason to access the building outside of worship times. Where possible, physical supervision from full-time staff is also stongly advised.
– Apply anti-graffiti coatings to exposed walls
While it’s relatively easy to monitor the interior and enclosed areas of places of worship, the community-facing entrances and walls can be subject to graffiti. For especially exposed (or frequently targeted) areas, an anti-graffiti coating can help to make the maintenance of the building easier.
– Deter undesirables from loitering
Statistics show that a fake video camera is actually as effective at deterring crime to a property as an active one. These are inexpensive to purchase and install, and while you might not want your community seeing those cameras, the cost savings in repairing damage would more than make the investment worthwhile. Including one or two live cameras in the mix is even more effective, when the police are able to follow up any incidences of vandalism that the cameras do pick up.
– Keep an eye out for examples of vermin
Faith buildings might not be used every day, which means they are more susceptible to becoming home to rodents than buildings used daily. Regularly hiring professional vermin controllers to survey the property and deal with any vermin found is a good step in minimising the damage they can cause.
– Make use of security
Faith organisations are also advised to hire a security organisation to monitor buildings when they are not in use. While this can be costly, undesirables do tend to know which buildings have security, and tend to stay away from them.
Every building exists in a different environment and might have different requirements to minimise the risk of property damage. When forming a property security property, it is a good idea to speak to your insurance broker, who will be an expert in identifying risks and recommending actions (or policies) to manage that risk.
Contact us today at XXXX to start discussing your property risks and insurance needs.