Shared garages and storage cages can hold vehicles, bicycles and valuable belongings. Practical security habits can help reduce unauthorised access and make concerns easier to identify and report.
How can you secure an apartment garage and storage cage?
Avoid storing excess belongings in open garage areas. Where possible, keep items inside a locked cage or small shed, and arrange them so they are not easily visible from common property.
Ask your body corporate manager about storage arrangements. Check your scheme’s by-laws before making changes to a cage, garage or other common property. The by-laws that apply to your scheme may be recorded in its community management statement, or CMS.
Keep chains off the floor where possible. For motorcycles, consider physical security measures such as ground anchors, strong locks and alarms. No single measure guarantees protection, so consider how the different measures work together.
How should you protect vehicles, motorcycles and bicycles?
Simple habits can reduce opportunities for theft:
- Lock vehicles, motorcycles and bicycles whenever they are unattended.
- Secure bicycles and motorcycles to something solid.
- Do not leave valuables or garage door remotes in vehicles. A remote may provide access to the building or garage, so keep it with you.
- If something must remain in a vehicle, keep it out of sight.
- Check that the garage door has closed completely before driving away.
- Do not leave belongings piled up in a visible area of the garage.
You can also read our guide to keys, fobs, swipe cards and security access for more information about access arrangements.
How can residents control access to shared garages and common areas?
Do not allow people you do not know into the building or garage through an intercom. Refer visitors or contractors to the building manager, or follow your scheme’s usual access procedure.
Avoid giving visitors unsupervised access to communal areas. Keep communal doors closed when they are unattended and do not prop them open. Do not lend keys or access devices. Report lost or compromised keys promptly.
Your scheme’s by-laws may also regulate how residents and visitors use lots and common property. In a community titles scheme, occupiers must not use common property in a way that causes a nuisance or hazard, or unreasonably interferes with another person’s use or enjoyment of it. They must not allow another person, such as a visitor, to use it in that way.
What should you do when you notice suspicious behaviour?
Do not confront, follow or investigate anyone. Move to a safe place and report urgent safety concerns or suspected criminal activity to police. For non-urgent concerns, contact police through the appropriate reporting channel and notify the building manager or body corporate manager.
Neighbours who know the usual activity around their building may notice something unusual sooner. Share concerns calmly and avoid making assumptions about people based on their appearance or visitor status.
If the issue involves a possible by-law breach, keep relevant details and raise it with the committee or body corporate manager. A body corporate is responsible for enforcing its own by-laws, and owners and occupiers can also take action.
What security measures can a body corporate consider?
A body corporate may consider improved lighting, controlled access, secure doors or CCTV for common property. CCTV should be positioned for legitimate security purposes, such as covering entrances, exits and target areas, rather than to monitor or spy on residents.
The BCCM Act requires a body corporate’s common-property CCTV to be operated reasonably and in compliance with legislative requirements. Lot owners must ensure any CCTV they are allowed to install does not interfere with another person’s use and enjoyment of their lot or common property. The body corporate should also consider privacy, audio recording, installation requirements and how footage will be managed.
Good storage practices, careful access control and prompt reporting can help protect your garage and storage cage without compromising shared access arrangements. If your body corporate is considering security changes, contact StrataCare at reception@stratacare.com.au.
