Security questions raised over open homes

Alistair Helm posted on his blog, Properazzi, about an email he had received from a real estate agent, raising concerns about security at open homes.

“Their concern was the extent to which people provided false details at the time of registering at the door and whether a more rigorous process should be employed to ensure security, such as a photo ID.”

Today, Helm said people always talked about security and the threat of people casing open homes for theft. The New Zealand way of operating is not standard around the world. Apart from Australia, most countries only do viewings by appointment. “We are quite relaxed and open.”

Helm said that when he went to open homes in Australia recently, on several occasions he was not even asked for his details.