I have a 80 unit 2yr old townhome complex. don't have any garages. built with dark sky lighting (lampost lighting shines downward) so parking lot is pretty dim. last three weeks multiple tenants had their car broken into. no evidence of forced entry and no broken windows. I think thieves are somehow stealing the wireless signal from the key fob, has anyone heard of this & how to prevent?

I suspect that bright lighting doesn't stop thieves any more. Everyone knows that when you call the cops, they take their time arriving, or else don't arrive at all.

I've lived places where you aren't allowed to have bright lights, but if that isn't a problem for you, maybe you could switch to LED lighting which can be quite bright. I suspect it won't make any difference.

Send a notice around reminding tenants to lock their cars and to never leave anything valuable in them.

A modern version of the old wire coat-hanger is very effective, cheap and pretty easy to learn how to use.

Bright lights make no difference at 3am when everyone is sleeping. And they make it easier to see the laptop that was left in the car because it was too inconvenient to take it indoors.

RFID sniffers are pretty easy to buy/build if you know where to look

Have your tenants report all thefts to the Police.

Advise everyone that it is good practice to remove all valuables from their vehicles.

Search Google for 'no valuables left in this vehicle' to get signage ideas for car windows and parking areas.

My parents lived on the outskirts of the country. I was home from college one year, and left my favorite pair of ankle boots in my vehicle. Sure enough, someone got into the car and stole my shoes. I suspect it was the neighbor across the street's older son, but of course, I had no proof. But ever since then, I've been obsessive about locking my car door, even when I'm coming right back to it in ten seconds.

There were a few waves of car break-ins in my town over the last few years. Sometimes it's been out-of-towners, but more often, it's local juvenile delinquents. Almost every car "broken into" was actually left unlocked--- these people just go through the driveways, trying door handles, and grabbing whatever's easiest to get, and then moving on. Occasionally, they'll find a gun in someone's glove compartment, but more often, it's purses/wallets/money.

It's not just at night. There's one juvie in particular I know about who sits in his front window, and looks for cars to park on the street near his house. When the person goes inside, he'll dash out to see if he can grab something off the front seat, especially if windows are rolled down in the summer. That particular juvie isn't so juvie anymore... he keeps pulling the shenanigans he could get away with when he was 16 or 17, but now that he's 18, he's getting treated as an adult...

Thieves like this will be back. Stake it out. It should not take long to catch them.

Had any new tenants lately with teenage kids?

Any "bad" type people?

Very common over on the beach. Between local kids opening unlocked car doors parked in the big tourist homes' driveways and bored tourist kids roaming about at night, it's a big problem.

The local cops have posted on Facebook about having a 9pm routine: REMOVE VALUABLES and LOCK YOUR CAR.

I have a 10 unit on the corner of two alley's with the same problem. I had the following choices:

a) Install automatic security rolling gates, cost $35,000 to $50,000.

b) Install security cameras, motion activated with also more parking area lighting. Cost $3,500.

c) Hire an armed security firm to do 3 patrols per night and make any private person arrests, for $2000 a month.

What did I do?

I installed limited parking spots with automatic security sliding gate. Tenants that wished to pay $100 a month for a secure spot, got one of those spots.

I installed automatic lighting an more camera's.

I paid a security firm to patrol the garage area only 2 times per night, for $1,000 a month.

It's called a relay machine. A co-conspirator gets close to where the real key is-- like outside your home windows or doors. Once he gets the FOB code he sends it from the relay machine to the other person by the vehicle. Google it-- it was shown on a security camera exactly how its done.

Yes, it's possible to copy a remote key, but it takes skill and equipment and they have to be around the key when it transmits and cypher the code.

If you're going to go to that much trouble, you're going to steal the car.

There are a hundred ways to get into a car without a key.

Do a google search for "tennis ball car unlock" as one example.

If the bad guys want to get in they will. Pass the word through to the tenants not to leave any valuables in their car. Request Police do more turns in the block. Install lighting and security cameras. Hire a security monitoring service. All good things, but frankly, at best moderately effective.

"Uta" be an occasional problem with several of our properties.

Installed motion sensitive flood with Set to stay on several minutes,..150 equivalent LEDs (Low power usage)and they last and last generally years,.

Seems like MOST bad guys get real nervous sneaking up to a car and the bright lights come on.....even if they know its motion sensitive,..they don't know who is watching.

In one I put a screw in outlet into the bulb receptacles and ran a zip cord to two other lights from a different direction,

Note the area was protected from rain and water,

Any good electrician could easily hook up same to not be in a dry area,..

May not work with total meth/crack heads,..but for most thieves it seems too.

Did this years ago to our boatclub house that kept getting broken into,.club members balked at the cost of a real alarm.so I set up a motion light and same screw in outlets,..only this time the lights were away from the motion light (so a bit harder to find the prime unit) and the other receptacle also had a screw in outlet,and a zip cord to a loud tag sale radio tuned in to a 24 hour station also away from the prime unit. .

We could see attempts to get in,..but nothing was ever. Did the same to my tool shed.

LL,

Interesting.

My Millennial offspring do not feel it is necessary to lock their cars so MY first reaction is unlocked cars.

But if it was unlocked how do they know it was "broken into" other than something of value missing?

MY concern is the mental comfort of your residents. I think you need to do "something" to show you care. If not folks will leave fearing for their safety.

Motion lights, cameras from Sam's club, letter reminding everyone to use the normal safety rules Yo Mama taught but not set up fear that your complex is riddled with crime - look around and be aware, remove EVERYTHING from sight, lock your doors...neither will stop thieves but will make you look good as a manager.

BRAD