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Topic
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Our brand new security building is accessed by security pass on entry doors and lift. Thats great when there is power, most of the time. I asked questions about what happens if there is a blackout. Apparantly we need to contact the estate’s security who will arrange entry. Sure security is 24 hours. But really, the most likely scenario number one is a big storm, a lot of buildings without power, and me standing in the rain with or without a mobile phone to contact security for access and then waiting for them to arrive whilst they have multiple demands on their time.
The second scenario troubling me is that the lift will need maintenance and access will be via the fire stairs that are key locked. Is it legal to deny access to my own property on the basis of no power? Fire stairs allow exit from but not in the building. Bizarely, there are no locks on fire doors once inside, so there is free movement available between the levels. Clearly, the security designers think the “baddies” are all living somewhere else and not in my building!
We bought off the plan. Who knew to check access issues with the sales office? I feel I should have a key for the fire door what do you think?
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If you can’t get into the building during a power failure then I don’t think you’ll be able to use the lift either. It’s a bit hard to know without some further information what the best scenario is for your building, eg how many units and how many floors. If there are lot of units then obviously the more keys given out and duplicated by the residents, the less security prevails. And as you say you have to watch out for the baddies within! It should be quite feasible to put in a battery backup for the security system so it will continue to operate during a power outage, whereas a lift would require a diesel generator, a much more difficult and expensive proposition. Unfortunately some of these issues aren’t well thought out by the builders, and the developers are happy to let the purchasers sort out these shortcomings (at the expense of the Owners of course!)