Recorded footage arrives after the complaint
Most apartment communities already have cameras. What they do not have is anyone watching them between 10pm and 6am, which is when the parking structure, mail room, and pool area generate nearly all of the incidents residents complain about.
By the time footage is pulled, the resident has already filed the complaint, the car is already broken into, and the packages are already gone. Monitoring changes the order of events: the person is spoken to while they are still in the breezeway.
Where multifamily losses actually happen
- Parking structures and carports — vehicle break-ins, wheel and catalytic converter theft
- Mail and package rooms — after-hours package theft
- Pool, gym, and clubhouse areas — after-hours access and vandalism
- Trash and recycling enclosures — illegal dumping and squatting
- Vacant or turn units — copper, appliances, and unauthorized occupancy
- Breezeways and stairwells — loitering and drug activity residents report first
What a live agent does at 2am
Detection classifies a person entering the parking structure outside normal hours. An agent verifies it, then speaks over the on-site speaker describing what the person is wearing, where they are standing, and which row they are walking down.
That specificity is what ends it. If they stay, escalation follows — repeat warnings, strobes or sirens where installed, then a call to law enforcement with a live narration of what is happening on the property.
Monitoring versus courtesy patrol
| Option | Typical monthly cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Courtesy officer / roving patrol | $3,000-$8,000+ | A presence on a schedule, covering one location at a time |
| Cameras with no monitoring | Hardware only | Footage to review after a resident complaint |
| Monitored cameras (12-hour overnight) | $24.99 per camera | Every covered area watched at once, with a live voice-down |
Resident privacy and common-area coverage
Monitoring is scoped to common areas and property assets: parking, entries, amenity spaces, mail rooms, trash enclosures, and vacant units. Cameras aimed at unit doors and windows or into private space are not what makes this work, and they create problems that outweigh any benefit.
Zones are armed on a schedule you set, so ordinary resident activity during normal hours does not generate events.
What it takes to start
Most communities start with the cameras they already have — we are compatible with most existing IP cameras and NVRs. The usual addition is a speaker in the parking structure or courtyard so an agent can speak to someone.
Pricing is $24.99 per camera, per month for the 12-hour overnight window. Ten monitored cameras, which covers most communities' parking, entries, and amenity areas, is $249.90 per month. 24-hour continuous coverage is quoted per site.