The Risk Sites Face Over Holidays: Vacant Property Hazards

When a site shuts down over the holidays, many facility managers assume risk drops. It doesn’t. It simply becomes harder to see. A burst pipe, an electrical fault, or a forced entry can escalate for days before anyone notices.

This is where labour hire for facility managers becomes critical, giving you trained eyes on the ground when your regular team is away.

The quiet of a vacant building is misleading. Core systems keep running, and without routine checks, minor issues can turn into major losses. A proactive monitoring plan is essential during shutdowns, built on the understanding that “vacant” never means “safe”. 

Strategic labour coverage keeps risks visible and prevents small faults from turning into expensive emergencies.

The Four Main Vacant Property Hazards Facility Managers Underestimate

Leaving a property unattended over the holidays involves far more than locking up and walking away. Once a site becomes inactive, a specific set of risks escalates, often compounding behind the scenes while no one is onsite to intervene.

These risks fall into four core categories, each capable of causing significant financial loss and operational disruption. Understanding them allows facility managers to prepare properly and reduce exposure before the holiday break begins.

Vandalism, Break-ins and Illegal Access

When a site sits idle, it becomes conspicuous. Empty car parks, dark corners, and silent loading bays create ideal conditions for trespassers. Intruders take advantage of the reduced oversight, leading to smashed windows, graffiti, stolen materials, or targeted theft of copper and tools.

This damage is costly to repair and creates an impression that the site is neglected, which can influence tenant confidence and attract further unwanted activity. A vacant property without visible oversight signals vulnerability.

Water Damage and Undetected Leaks

Water issues escalate faster than almost any other building hazard. A minor leak that would usually be spotted during daily activity goes unnoticed in a vacant building, allowing water to spread through floors, ceilings, and wall cavities.

By the time staff return, the damage often includes soaked materials, warped flooring, and mould growth, each carrying heavy remediation costs. The business disruption that follows can be just as painful as the repair bill, especially for sites scheduled to reopen immediately after the holidays.

Electrical and Fire System Faults

Electrical systems continue running even when the building is empty, and faults can develop quietly. Older wiring, temporary equipment, and unattended appliances all increase the risk of a fire starting when no one is present to respond.

A safe shutdown needs more than switching off lights. Non-essential circuits should be isolated, temporary power sources removed, and fire detection systems confirmed operational and monitored. Without this preparation, a single fault can escalate into a major incident with no chance of early intervention.

Waste, Illegal Dumping and Unsecured Materials

Vacant sites attract rubbish and discarded materials, both from the public and from internal works left unfinished before the break.

External dumping creates pest problems and fire hazards, while internal debris or unsecured equipment can become dangerous or be misused by intruders. Materials left in damp or exposed areas may deteriorate, leading to additional costs.

Arranging professional rubbish removal in Sydney and securing all remaining materials ensures the site remains safe, clean, and less appealing to trespassers, and also reduces the workload when operations resume.

Insurance and Compliance: Why Incidents in Empty Buildings Hurt More

Insurance issues often turn a holiday incident from costly to catastrophic. Many commercial property policies include conditions for unoccupied or low-attendance periods, and insurers treat vacant buildings as higher risk.

To maintain full coverage, policies may require documented inspections or basic oversight during shutdowns. If a major incident occurs and there is no evidence that the site was monitored at all, insurers can argue that reasonable care wasn’t taken, which may reduce or even void a claim.

Detection time is the lever insurers look at most closely. A leak caught quickly is a maintenance issue. The same leak running for several days becomes structural damage, mould, and significant restoration costs. When the timeline shows a long period with no checks, the insurer will question why no one was on-site to intervene.

This is why labour hire for facility managers is so important, since they must not only protect the asset but also ensure the property meets the conditions of its insurance policy. Oversight during shutdowns is a compliance requirement that protects owners from devastating financial outcomes.

How Labour Hire for Facility Managers Reduces Holiday Risk

So how do you maintain on-site oversight without pulling your team back from their holiday break? For many organisations, labour hire for facility managers is the most practical solution. Instead of leaving a property unmonitored, temporarily vetted staff can perform essential checks and respond to issues as they arise. It gives you a controlled presence on-site during the shutdown, ensuring problems are caught early rather than after days of damage.

Labour hire is also cost-efficient for short-term coverage. The agency manages payroll, insurance, and onboarding, allowing you to increase or decrease staffing without the administrative load of direct employment. You keep operational control while ensuring the temporary team follows your exact shutdown procedures.

Specific tasks that can be delegated to temporary hires include:

• Performing daily or twice-daily walk-throughs to check for signs of leaks, damage, or unauthorised entry.

• Monitoring BMS alerts and actioning basic, pre-approved responses.

• Ensuring all entry points remain secure and logging any unusual activity.

• Receiving and securing any unexpected deliveries.

• Acting as a first point of contact for alarm systems, providing a quick on-site verification to avoid unnecessary emergency service call-outs.

  
  

A Simple Pre-Holiday Risk Plan Facility Managers Can Use

Putting together a robust holiday plan doesn’t need to be complicated. A straightforward, three-step framework can help you cover all your bases and ensure nothing is left to chance. The goal is to move from a reactive mindset to a proactive one, with clear actions and responsibilities.

1. Audit: Identify Your Vulnerabilities

   Before the shutdown, complete a full site walk-through with a focus on security, water, electrical systems, and waste. Note anything that increases risk: easy-access entry points, ageing plumbing, unsecured materials, or temporary electrical devices still plugged in. Document these findings clearly. This becomes the foundation of your holiday risk plan.

   
   

2. Allocate: Separate Automated and Manual Tasks

   Review your audit and sort each risk into two categories: tasks technology can manage and tasks that require physical checks. Remote CCTV, alarms, and BMS alerts handle part of the load, but they don’t replace on-site verification. Issues like illegal dumping, leaks, or unsecured materials need human inspection. Make this divide explicit before the shutdown begins.

   
   

3. Assign: Bridge the Gaps with Labour Hire

   For every task that requires boots on the ground, assign responsibility. Labour hire is the simplest way to maintain reliable coverage without overextending your own staff. Provide temporary workers with a clear holiday plan: a site map with checkpoints, escalation steps, emergency contacts, and a set inspection schedule. This ensures consistent monitoring and reduces the chance of missed issues.

   
   

Why Labour Hire for Facility Managers Is Essential During Holiday Shutdowns

Vacant properties don’t become safer when operations pause. They become harder to monitor. For facility managers, the holiday period represents a high-risk window where oversight drops, detection slows, and insurance obligations become harder to meet.

This is exactly where labour hire for facility managers adds critical value. Treating an empty site as an active asset ensures risks stay visible, insurance conditions remain satisfied, and small problems don’t escalate into major losses. 

With the right inspection plan, clear responsibilities, and trained temporary staff in place, you maintain control even when your core team is off-site.

If you need reliable short-term coverage this holiday season, Labouraix can supply trained, work-ready staff to keep your sites secure and compliant. Get in touch and we’ll build a cover plan that fits your shutdown schedule.