It's that easy to access your staircase!

Many homeowners' associations have installed intercoms at the entrance door, so that the door can be unlocked and people can only enter if they have an errand with one of the residents. That's a step in the right direction. BUT... There can be pitfalls that make it easy for a thief to open most entrance doors.

It's that easy to open most entrance doors to apartment buildings in Copenhagen. Here you can see the opening of 3 street doors in Vesterbro in Copenhagen.

Exposed street doors in Copenhagen

Denmark is one of the countries in the EU with the most burglaries in private homes, and gangs of thieves like to strike in apartment buildings in the big city.
The most obvious way to guard against burglary is to secure the building's doors and windows. The entrance and especially the street door in housing associations or homeowners' associations is one of the areas that most often needs renovation, and many entrance doors in Copenhagen are very worn. This is because it is often the most trafficked part of the property.

To increase security, many housing and homeowners' associations have installed doorphones in the hallway to prevent thieves from visiting. Hallway doors are often equipped with a simple electric strike and a lockbox with a single latch, so the door locks when closed by the door pump. If the hallway door opens inwards, it can often be broken open, as illustrated in the video, with a piece of plastic, or a kick. The door is therefore not secured enough to prevent a burglar from entering the building.

Burglary protection in housing and homeowners' associations

Fortunately, there are several ways in which homeowners' or housing associations can optimize building security and prevent burglars from gaining access to the entrance.

The streets of Copenhagen are filled with worn-out street doors, which make it easy for burglars to gain access to the many apartment buildings.

Correct installation of locks

The street door must be so solid that it can withstand burglary attempts. This can be done by improving the existing door and frame. A magnetic lock will prevent the entrance door from being easily opened with a piece of plastic, as shown in the video. At the same time, installing a magnetic lock and a security latch will provide a higher breaking strength in the event of a burglary attempt with a kick. In addition, it is essential that the lock on the door is installed by a professional locksmith to ensure that the setup is correct.

Increase security with a doorphone

With an intercom installed, the building can be locked at all hours of the day and opened as needed for the residents' guests. An intercom is a good tool to ensure that strangers do not gain access to the building. It is important that the entrance is equipped with a good quality intercom, so that the residents can have a clear conversation and only open the door to visitors with a real business. An intercom with a video camera can to some extent prevent strangers from being let into the entrance, as users can ensure that they actually know the people they are letting in.

Lock out lost keys with access control

With an electronic locking system, each resident does not have to run around with multiple keys to gain access to the entrance door, apartment door, basement room and the like. The system makes it possible to determine which doors each key fob should give access to. The system is administered from a PC in the property administration. This simplifies a number of processes that could previously cause problems. If a resident loses a key fob, it can be easily and quickly deleted from the system so that it no longer works. In addition, if an incident in the building needs to be investigated further, it is possible to see in the system log on the PC which key fob has been used at a given time.

Supplement with video surveillance

A supplement to burglary protection for housing and homeowners' associations is video surveillance. If there have been problems with crime, video surveillance can be a security-creating supplement. The surveillance cameras should be placed so that they can record video of people entering and exiting the hallway or staying in common areas.

Help with burglary protection for housing and homeowners' associations

Are you on the board of a housing association and your homeowners' or housing association is responsible for replacing locks, installing access control, video surveillance or a doorphone? Then you should first and foremost seek advice from professional installers who can adapt the solution to your needs.

Do you need a professional locksmith for homeowners' associations, cooperative housing associations or public housing associations? Then do not hesitate to contact KEYPARTNER. We have several years of experience in helping housing associations with secure solutions for their properties. We are happy to have a non-binding discussion about your needs and are happy to make our experience and knowledge available at board meetings and general meetings.