Is the Building Closed for Christmas or Vacant Between Tenants?
Start here because the two situations leave different jobs. A business that closes for two weeks may still have staff keys in use and a known reopening date. A building between leases may have no staff due back and an unsettled list of people who can enter. Both need someone responsible for access during the break.
Write down the exact date the site will become unoccupied and who has authority over it. In a shared building, confirm which doors and services the building manager controls. An office tenant may be able to secure its own suite while the landlord controls the lobby and common fire systems.
Ask your broker or insurer how your policy treats the closure, especially if the property is already vacant or works are planned. Check whether it requires notice, inspections or records. Policy terms vary. Share any relevant inspection requirements with your security provider before agreeing on the scope.
Vacant commercial property security starts with the period of lease vacancy or temporary closure. Ask which insurance conditions apply to your property, including any requirements for vacant property inspections or photo records.
A Week Before Closure: Walk the Property From the Outside In
Check Doors That Staff Rarely Use
Start at the street and walk the outside route during daylight. Check where a person could enter unseen, such as a rear fire door approached from a lane or a side gate beside a shared loading area. Inside, review doors between occupied and unoccupied parts of the building.
Record each issue against a specific location. “Rear roller door at bay two” gives a repairer a place to start. A door that can close but will not latch needs attention before the holiday. If a repair will run late, agree on temporary cover with the owner or your security provider.
Review Keys, Passes and Who Receives Alerts
Collect credentials that are no longer needed and make an approved access list for the holiday. Confirm who can enter after hours and who can approve changes. Where an outgoing tenant held access, have the authorised building contact review any passes that still work.
Test the alarm notification procedure with the provider. Ask which zones are active and what happens if an alert goes to someone on leave. If cameras are in use, ask the authorised operator to verify the relevant views and how to retrieve a clip if it is needed later. Make clear which parts of the premises an attending officer may enter.
Assign Building Services to the People Who Maintain Them
Ask the facilities team which systems need to stay on while the site is empty. Put any decisions about utilities or fire protection with the person authorised to manage them. Have a contact ready if a leak shows up after hours. A security officer can flag visible water or damage, while the maintenance team decides how to deal with it.
If the same person usually handles property access and maintenance, nominate a backup who can reach the right contractor. Keep contact details in the holiday brief where the people on duty can find them.
Agree on keyholding and keep an access register showing who can enter. Make sure the record covers the alarm zones an officer may reach and who can authorise changes to the plan.
Last Day: A Christmas Shutdown Security Checklist
- Secure the perimeter: Check nominated gates and doors and confirm who has dealt with any fault that would let someone enter.
- Clear access areas: Ask the site team to move items that block an approved patrol route or make it easier to reach a low roof.
- Record the condition at lock-up: Note existing damage and take dated photos of agreed access points where permitted.
- Check the alarm handover: Confirm who arms the relevant zones and who gets an alert while regular contacts are away.
- Confirm approved visits: Record when cleaners or trades can enter and who checks the premises after they leave.
- Pass on unresolved issues: Give the officer and property manager the location of any door still awaiting repair.
For a property with late contractors, book a final security lock-up after the last visit. Agree which doors or zones the officer handles. Tell them if a common entrance stays open for another tenant.
A commercial building lock-up sets the baseline for property inspections. Record the condition of the areas that could show signs of water leaks and tell the facilities contact where the officer should report them. For additional property checks before closing, see Ansvar’s Christmas shutdown preparation guide.
While the Building Is Empty: Plan What Gets Checked
A useful visit has a defined route. If the scope is to check the perimeter, name the sides of the property and the access points the officer can reach. If you want checks inside the building, set out the approved door and which areas the officer may enter. Confirm how the premises will be secured again at the end of the visit.
Set the timing around what changes at the site. A Footscray shop may benefit from a check after a contractor works on a rear door. A Campbellfield warehouse may need an overnight look at empty loading bays. Compare security patrol visits with a fixed guard shift if a part of the site cannot be secured.
Ask the officer to record what could not be seen and why. A blocked laneway or a cancelled lift credential can change the route. The person who reads the report needs to know whether a checkpoint was secure or could not be reached. For more on planning the route, see our vacant property security checklist.
How Often Should an Empty Commercial Building Be Checked?
Use the condition of the doors and the length of the closure to help set the interval. A recurring fault at a rear gate may warrant different cover from a secure office in an occupied tower. Ask whether the insurer has an inspection requirement and confirm what each visit must record if one applies.
Agree how to request extra cover after a repair delay or an incident. The same visit schedule may make sense for the first days of the break and need to change after a door fails. Tell the provider when the condition changes so they can review the next shift or visit.
If Something Goes Wrong, Who Does What?
A Door or Window Shows Damage
The officer records what they can observe safely and follows the agreed escalation plan. The person with authority for the property decides who makes it secure again. If the premises will remain exposed, discuss placing a guard at the property until the repair is done.
A Sensor or Camera Sends an Alert
Check whether the alarm provider, building manager or duty contact receives the alert. Under an agreed alarm call-out procedure, an officer can attend accessible parts of the property. Give the officer enough detail to identify the relevant area, then ask for the result to reach the person who can act on it.
The Officer Sees Signs of a Leak
Ask the officer to note where they saw the water and who they notified. Facilities staff or an authorised contractor can decide what to do about equipment or utilities. If the affected area becomes unsafe, update the patrol brief so the next person knows which part to avoid.
Adapt the Plan to the Building
Offices in Docklands and the Melbourne CBD
An office may be empty while the ground-floor lobby or car park stays in use. Confirm whether officers can reach your tenancy by lift after hours. Agree who handles the shared doors, particularly if the building uses a holiday schedule. Metro Guards’ security for managed properties covers shared access arrangements.
Shops in Richmond and Footscray
A closed shop may have a glass street frontage and a rear service door in a different lane. Add the rear to the scope where safe access is available. Confirm what the centre or arcade will close, so an officer does not arrive to find the route through common areas unavailable.
Warehouses in Campbellfield and Laverton
Give the officer a route that names each agreed roller door or vehicle gate. A large yard may make a problem invisible from the front entrance. If a technician will be on site, record when the access route changes and which gates need a check once the work ends. See warehouse and logistics security for cover around industrial gates and loading areas.
Worked Example: A Two-Week Closure in a Shared Building
A manager closes a ground-floor office in Richmond for two weeks. The units upstairs stay occupied. A cleaner will visit once, and an electrician needs access to the office the next day. The owner can secure the side door, but the common rear gate stays in use.
Before closing, the manager asks building management which side entrances a patrol officer may use after hours. The owner puts the cleaner and electrician on an approved list. The electrician has permission for a specific part of the office and must call the duty manager if the work runs late. An officer checks the side door after the final visit.
On the next round, the officer finds the rear gate blocked by equipment. The report gives the location and says the officer could not reach the agreed access point. The manager checks with building management about removing the obstruction and tells the patrol provider when the route will be clear. If the visit must still go ahead that night, the manager agrees on a different safe approach.
At reopening, the owner can compare the latest condition with the lock-up photos and see what changed. The office and the shared areas were given separate instructions, which kept the response clear.
What to Record When an Inspection Can’t Be Completed
Give the officer a way to flag an area they could not reach. Record the checkpoint, the reason it was blocked and who can arrange access. For a leased premises in a shared building, the contact may be the building manager. Ask that person to confirm whether a return visit is needed or an approved route is available. Retain the original record so the property manager can see the difference between a missed check and a confirmed fault.
Reopen With a Record of What Changed
Read the latest inspection records before staff or the next tenant arrives. Put unresolved defects on a short list and say who owns each action. If a door has a temporary lock, confirm who has the replacement key. If a contractor kept a pass over the break, confirm who will collect it.
Check whether access control and alarm schedules should return to their normal settings. Tell the security team the time cover ends. If part of the building remains empty or out of use, set a separate end date for that area and keep its access rules current.
If you arrange security for empty buildings in Melbourne, make the reopening checks part of the same brief. The final report should list repairs still open and any keys or passes the next occupant needs.
Vacant Building Security FAQs
Do we need security for a short Christmas closure?
Check what happens when the regular staff are away. A clean lock-up and an active alarm may cover some needs. Arrange physical visits if you want someone to check agreed doors or respond to issues. Where a site needs an entrance staffed, book cover for that window.
What should we keep as evidence of security checks?
Keep the agreed inspection schedule and the reports that show which points the officer reached. Retain related photos where permitted and any messages about who received an urgent alert. If your insurer requests specific records, confirm what those records must contain.
Can we use our regular staff to check the building?
Your team may be able to complete an agreed check if they have safe access and know the route. Tell them what to do if the building appears damaged or an area cannot be reached. If staff are away or the site needs professional access control, talk to Metro Guards about security for the holiday break.
Get Security Cover Before the Doors Close
Share the address, dates and any approved holiday visits with Metro Guards. If a part of the property needs urgent attention or must stay in use, mention it when you ask for a quote.
