Property Security
Protecting People, Property and Common Areas
Strata and property management security protects apartment buildings, townhouse complexes, mixed-use developments, and common property through on-site officers, mobile patrols, access control, concierge services, and alarm response.
Metro Guards provides strata and property management security Melbourne owners corporations and building managers rely on to protect residents, visitors, and common property around the clock. 17+ years of experience, ISO, CM3, and ASIAL certified, with officers who know your building’s access points, car park, and problem areas from the first shift.
ISO 9001, 14001 & 45001 certified | CM3 prequalified | ASIAL member | Victoria Police licensed officers | 17+ years protecting Melbourne buildings
Melbourne’s Trusted Strata and Owners Corporation Security Partner
Strata managers usually call us after a break-in in the car park, a visitor incident that should never have got past the lobby, or a committee that’s had enough of unauthorised access with no one accountable for it.
We work across apartment buildings and townhouse complexes from Richmond and Carlton through to Hawthorn, Camberwell, Glen Waverley, Essendon, Preston, and the Melbourne CBD, and the pattern is usually the same: once officers are actually watching entry points and common areas, disputes and unauthorised access drop, because someone is physically there.
Risks Strata and Residential Buildings Are Actually Facing
Victoria recorded 630,592 criminal offences in the year to December 2025, a 4.2% increase on the previous year, marking the highest recorded figures since the commencement of CSA reporting in 2004–05. Property offences are driving the rise.
Vehicle and Car Park Theft
Motor vehicle theft rose to 32,013 incidents across Victoria in the year ending December 2025, up from 28,897 the previous year, a 10.7% increase, with key reprogramming and cloning devices implicated in roughly one in five stolen vehicles. Basement and street-level strata car parks are a common target.
Theft from Vehicles on Residential Property
Theft from motor vehicles is the main driver of the statewide increase, up to 82,947 offences in the last 12 months, and a large share of that happens in residential car parks and driveways rather than public streets.
Flats and Apartment Buildings Specifically
Separate CSA-sourced analysis found offences at flats, units, and apartments rose 7.56% year on year, ahead of several other location types.
Local Hotspots Matter for Strata Buildings
Stonnington, which covers South Yarra and Toorak, was Victoria’s worst burglary hotspot in the year to June 2025, and Yarra, which covers Richmond and Carlton North, ranked second worst. Both LGAs are dense with strata apartment stock, which is exactly where opportunistic offenders look for easy access.
After-Hours and Visitor Risk
Most strata buildings have no staff on site overnight. That’s when unauthorised entry, car park incidents, and disputes between residents and visitors are most likely to happen, and most likely to go unnoticed until someone checks the CCTV the next day, if the footage is even still there.
Committee Accountability
Owners corporations answer to residents and committees under the Owners Corporations Act 2006 (Vic). A verbal assurance that “someone’s keeping an eye on it” doesn’t hold up at an AGM.
Committees need a logged, documented approach they can point to, covering access auditing, incident escalation, and emergency management planning, not a guess.
A single concierge desk doesn’t solve car park security, after-hours patrols don’t cover a lobby dispute at 3 pm, and neither covers alarm response at 2 am. That’s why we scope security around what the building actually needs.
Why Strata Managers and Owners Corporations Choose Metro Guards
Metro Guards has protected Victorian residential and commercial strata buildings for 17+ years, maintaining uninterrupted coverage across every contracted strata site during that time.
One provider for officers, patrols, alarms, and access control, instead of juggling separate contractors
Same officer wherever possible, so residents and committee members see a familiar face, not a stranger, every week
Officers briefed on your building's access points, car park layout, and common problem areas before their first shift
Rapid deployment across Melbourne's inner and outer suburbs
Live incident reporting through our 24/7 Operations Centre
A direct account manager, not a call centre queue
On buildings where we’ve introduced regular patrols alongside access control, committees typically report fewer unauthorised access incidents and fewer car park disputes within the first few months of coverage.
Our Strata Security Officers
Every officer placed on a strata or residential site is:
- Licensed under the Private Security Act 2004 (Vic)
- Uniformed and presentable for resident-facing roles
- Trained in conflict management for visitor and resident disputes
- First aid trained for on-site incidents
- Trained in incident reporting and access auditing
- Experienced in concierge and front-desk customer service
- Briefed on the building's emergency evacuation procedures
- Site-inducted before their first shift, covering WHS compliance and contractor management protocols
Our Complete Security Services for Strata and Property Management
CCTV Monitoring and Coordination
We work with your building's existing camera system, flag coverage gaps in car parks and stairwells, and pull footage for the committee or police when an incident needs it.
Site Risk Assessments
Before we recommend anything, we walk the property and map entry points, blind spots, and problem areas against what residents and the committee have already flagged.
Coverage by Property Type
High-Rise Apartment Buildings
Concierge desk coverage, visitor management, and access control across lobbies, car parks, and shared amenities. Common across Southbank, Docklands, and Melbourne CBD towers.
Townhouse and Villa Complexes
Mobile patrols and perimeter checks for developments without a permanent front desk are common in Glen Waverley, Doncaster, and Box Hill.
Mixed-Use Commercial and Residential Buildings
Coordinated officers and access control covering both retail tenancies and residential floors under one plan.
Vacant or Under-Construction Strata Developments
Patrols and lock-up services to protect a site from trespass and theft before residents move in.
We cover strata and residential buildings across Melbourne, including Southbank, Docklands, South Yarra, St Kilda, Richmond, Carlton, Hawthorn, Camberwell, Box Hill, Doncaster, Glen Waverley, Essendon, Preston, Brunswick, and Footscray.
Which Service Actually Suits Your Building?
Mobile Patrol vs Static Guard
A static officer suits buildings needing a constant presence at one point, like a lobby desk. Mobile patrols suit larger complexes or multi-building estates where car parks, perimeters, and common areas need regular checks rather than one fixed post.
Concierge vs Security Officer
A concierge focuses on resident service, parcels, and visitor management during business hours. A security officer is trained specifically in access control, conflict management, and incident response, and can cover after-hours periods a concierge role typically doesn't.
Alarm Response vs On-Site Guard
Alarm response suits buildings that don't need a permanent officer but want a licensed team dispatched the moment an alarm triggers. An on-site guard suits buildings with ongoing visitor traffic or disputes that need someone physically present, not just responding after an alert.
CCTV Alone vs Manned Security
Cameras record an incident. They don't stop it from happening or manage a dispute in real time. Manned security combined with CCTV coordination gives you both prevention and a documented record, which matters for committee reporting and insurance claims.
When Does a Building Need a Full Security Plan?
Most committees start with one service and add more once they see where the gaps are:
- A building with repeat car park break-ins now also needs overnight patrols and CCTV coordination
- A concierge desk during the day, but no alarm coverage or patrols once it closes
- A committee is getting visitor and access complaints with no logged record of who entered and when
- A vacant development at risk of trespass and vandalism before settlement
- A mixed-use building needing officers, access control, and patrols coordinated across both commercial and residential tenants
If any of that sounds like your building, a site assessment will show you exactly where the gaps sit.
Compliance You Can Verify
- Private Security Act 2004 (Vic): every officer holds a current Victoria Police security licence
- Owners Corporations Act 2006 (Vic): we work within committee obligations for common property management
- Victorian Labour Hire licence VICLHL01373
- ISO 9001, 14001, and 45001: quality, environmental, and safety management certification
- CM3 prequalified and ASIAL member
Our Security Deployment Process
1
Site walkthrough and risk assessment, mapping entry points, blind spots, and after-hours vulnerabilities2
Service scoping, combining concierge, patrols, alarm response, CCTV, and access control based on what the building actually needs3
Licence verification for every officer before placement4
Site-specific induction covering access protocols, emergency procedures, and committee expectations5
Emergency response briefing aligned to the building's evacuation plan6
Committee sign-off on procedures before the first shift7
Ongoing supervisor audits and plan review as the building's risks changeClient Testimonials
What Our Clients Say About Our Commercial Security Services in Melbourne
Our clients speak for themselves. Businesses across Melbourne use Metro Guards because the service is consistent, the officers are professional, and we follow through every time.
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Get a Clear Picture of Your Building’s Security
Tell us your building type and where you’re seeing gaps. We’ll map out a plan covering what your building actually needs and give you a clear quote within 24 hours.
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