The number of unoccupied properties in the UK has reached record highs with over 615,000 empty buildings in 2019. Over 440,000 of these were residential dwellings and over 170,000 were commercial buildings representing over 150 million square feet of vacant retail space. Residential vacancies had seen a stark increase of 75% since 2012 and post pandemic these figures will only rise in number.

Whatever the reason a property is vacant, whether residential or commercial, they become a target for anti-social behaviour, including vandalism, theft of materials such as roof tiles and fly-tipping. In turn, a build-up of rubbish leads to rodent and insect infestations and there are obvious threats such as arson. Empty buildings also attract squatters who can be costly and timely to remove.

As such, empty buildings cost more to insure but sufficient security can mitigate these additional costs and there are now a plethora of security installers who offer vacant property protection as part of their portfolio.

OCULi HD is a standalone PIR with a built-in camera which can be powered by lithium batteries or solar. It does not require a hub or wi-fi connection and will provide rapid visual verification of an intruder which can be viewed in seconds via a mobile app or online portal. Users can request more footage of an event and if powered by solar users can live stream images. OCULi HD also has a Time Lapse mode where it takes an image at regular intervals to compile a Time Lapse video.

Crucially, for vacant property protection, there are a number of sounder functions to add an extra layer of security. These include live voice challenge, or an automatic sounder or message can be played whenever the motion sensor is triggered. OCULi HD units are also fitted with a powerful IR providing an extra deterrent at night. Units can be easily deployed in minutes using a magnetic mount.

OCULi HD integrates with popular third-party platforms if protecting property via a security monitoring company or units can be self-monitored using the portal and app.

Article by Laura Grainger, Luminite.

For more information on Luminite products, call our sales team on 01772 336 111. QED are the main UK distributors for Luminite products.