While the idea behind, and indeed the money behind living in a gated community may principally be keeping your family and belongings safe from the outside world, part of the danger of the private community is that families let their guard down. Many people assume that the hired security professionals will take care of any potential threat, and do not bother to comply with basic home security tasks like installing properly locking doors and windows, locking the doors and windows each time they leave the house, or even setting their property's personal security system. While adding a secure checkpoint to the security equation is obviously a helpful security step, people living in such communities should also remember that being a resident of such a community brings with it status. It also lets the outside world know that you have valuable material and economic resources. Imagine being a thief and thinking about which houses would make the biggest pay day should you gain entry. While the risk of getting into a gated community may be greater, the reward would also be exponentially greater than breaking into the average home. When thinking about exactly how secure your gated community is, it is important to ask some of these pertinent questions garage door repair in Miami.

Who is allowed in? While the answer may seem obvious that only residents are allowed in, think about how many other people must come inside like delivery people, repair people, housekeepers, babysitters and more. Each one of these people might be a potential threat if they are allowed to pass through the gate unsupervised. Always check to see if your community's security personnel accompany such service professionals on their assignments, or merely lets them pass on by. A community with designated service professionals is always more desirable that one where community members contract from outside.

What is the turnover like for security personnel? Are the security professionals for your community trusted, long-time employees or are there constantly new hires and new faces greeting you at the gate? Constant turnover might signify that there are many disgruntled employees out there who know the exact layout and weak points of your community and could be a potential home security threat. It also means the door is open to new security personnel taking jobs just for the opportunity to gain access.

What is the screening process like for employees? Can anyone be hired as a security professional or does the person have to pass a background check? If these measures are not required, or your community uses security personnel from a security 'service' it may be possible that your trusted security team has a record of criminal activity, violence, or even residential robbery!

What type of intercom system is used by residents? In a gated community most residents are called or paged on the intercom when a guest arrives, even an expected one. While all community members should be required to announce all expected guests to security personnel, when an unexpected visitor drops by, good secured communities should either require the resident to come to the gate to visually verify, or have a video surveillance or intercom system set in place. If not, just about anybody can get in, and the security of living in such a community is completely wasted.