Industrial Property Brokers – Let’s Stay Alert
Industrial-property viewings require openness to genuine prospects, but they also require sensible verification and clear security protocols.
A serious incident at an industrial park in Gauteng highlighted a risk that commercial and industrial brokers, landlords and occupiers should take seriously. According to a security notice circulated by the property owner, people who had previously visited a property as apparent prospective purchasers later returned under a different pretext and gained access before an armed robbery took place.
The concern is not simply the incident itself. Industrial brokers regularly meet people they do not yet know at factories, warehouses, yards and occasionally isolated vacant properties. At the first viewing, the broker may have little more than a name, cellphone number and company description. That creates a genuine safety and access-control challenge.
Verification without making viewings impossible
Requiring a full FICA pack before every first viewing may not always be practical, particularly where legitimate occupiers are considering multiple properties through several brokers. But that does not mean a viewing should be arranged on the basis of an unverified name and phone number alone.
Sensible precautions before and during a viewing
- Obtain identification before confirming the viewing.
- Verify the prospect’s contact details and company information.
- Where possible, independently confirm the person’s association with the company they claim to represent.
- Do not rely solely on information supplied by the prospect.
- Accompany prospects throughout viewings of occupied premises.
- Do not treat a previous viewing as automatic permission for a later return visit.
- Avoid disclosing unnecessary detail about CCTV, alarms, access control or other security arrangements.
The gate is part of the control process
Security personnel should not assume that a visitor is authorised merely because they say they have viewed the property before. Brokers, landlords, occupiers and security teams need a shared process for confirming who is expected on site and whether a return visit has actually been approved.
The industry needs to remain accessible to genuine enquiries, but meeting an unknown person at a warehouse based only on a name and cellphone number is no longer a sensible default.
A practical broker-safety principle
The objective is not to make property viewings difficult. It is to introduce enough verification and coordination to protect the broker, the occupier, the landlord and the property itself while still allowing legitimate prospects to move through the process efficiently.