My blog focuses on Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. If you have a brick and mortar business, you may have to deal with some level of vandalism. If you deal with an incident, you have to have a plan for dealing with it. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Address Vandalism To Your Business Premises.
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Photo by Anastasiia Lopushynska: https://www.pexels.com/photo/couple-looking-at-vinyl-records-12070229/
There can be many nasty surprises in business planning, that’s the nature of competition. But finding your business has been hit by vandals is perhaps one of the worst gut punch moments that can ruin your whole week. It can take many forms, like spray paint across your front window or broken glass scattered on the pavement nearby. The immediate reaction is usually anger mixed with a sinking feeling of knowing you’ve got a mess to deal with and money to spend fixing something that was perfectly fine yesterday.
Vandalism can also feel personal even when it probably isn’t. Most of the time these incidents are random, kids being stupid or someone taking out their frustrations on whatever target happens to be convenient. That doesn’t make it any less frustrating to deal with, but understanding that it’s likely not some targeted attack on you specifically can help you approach the cleanup with a clearer head. If you have protections in place, odds are you have a fair amount of recourse too.
Of course, you’ll want to document everything thoroughly before you start cleaning up because insurance companies and police reports require evidence. That includes photos and any footage you can find. We’ll also believe the following advice can help you:
Catalog Everything
Don’t start sweeping up glass or scrubbing paint off walls, because you need to create a record of what happened. Take photos of all the damage from different angles, including wide shots that show the context and close-ups that give details. Write down exactly when you discovered the vandalism, what time you last saw everything intact, and any witnesses who might have seen something. It’ll help you avoid the frustration that comes otherwise.
You’ll also want to check if your security cameras caught anything useful, and if you don’t have cameras, this might be the realization that you need to install some. Then look around for any evidence the vandals might have left behind like spray paint cans, broken tools, or anything else that could help identify the culprit. Don’t clean up this evidence until after you’ve called the police and they’ve had a chance to look at the scene.
Get Professional Help For Glass And Structural Damage
Broken windows and damaged doors need immediate care, both for security reasons and to limit further damage from weather. You can’t leave your business exposed overnight or over a weekend, so finding reliable commercial window repair and replacement services is a priority. Professional repair companies can absolutely provide emergency boarding services to secure your property while they order the right materials for permanent repairs, should you have larger windows or extensive damage that needs caring for..
Don’t try to handle major glass replacement yourself because commercial windows often have specific requirements for thickness, safety standards, and installation methods that won’t be the same as residential work. Such services also understand how to work with insurance companies and can provide the detailed documentation your claim will require. Most will also have a heart and give you a decent quote.
Implement Security
It’s not nice to think about what you should have done, but we do have time to think about preventing this from happening again. Security cameras are the most obvious deterrent, but proper lighting can be just as effective at keeping vandals away, especially if they’re motion sensor lights that illuminate your entire storefront, making it much harder for someone to damage your property without being seen, and they’re usually cheaper than a full camera system.
You may also consider adding protective films to your windows that make them much harder to break or scratch, and think about landscaping to prevent any of the hiding spots around your building.Work with other businesses nearby so you can be more proactive about protecting your placements, too. It’ll help.
With this advice, we hope you can more easily address any and all vandalism to your business premises!.
