Scrap metal thieves targeting empty commercial buildings

SOARING scrap metal prices are making empty commercial buildings prime targets for thieves, according to Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH).

And many property owners are facing big bills because they have failed to read the small print on their insurance policies, which usually demand regular inspections of empty property.

Alexa Cotterell, a director in LSH’s Birmingham-based building consultancy, said that when buildings are left empty they quickly become a beacon for metal thieves, not to mention vandals and squatters.

She said, “With vacant space at a record high, effective and thorough property management has never been more crucial. Landlords need to employ a rigorous strategy to ensure their properties remain as income-generating assets, without bearing the brunt of expensive remedial costs.

“For example, a 60,000 sq ft industrial unit was recently broken into and stripped of all its copper piping and cabling. In the process of getting to the copper, the thieves smashed toilets, brought down ceilings and tore apart electrical distribution boards. Having failed to carry out regular inspections the owner’s insurance policy was invalid and he was left with a bill close to a quarter of a million pounds.”

She said most insurance policies require owners of empty properties to carry out regular inspections, normally on a fortnightly basis.