Vacant house in Kleve secured with self-sufficient detectors

Approach & details

Situation: repeatedly occupied and vandalised

IB West gGmbH is selling a larger, vacant single-family house in Kleve through a broker. Within a short time, unauthorised persons had twice moved in and caused damage. The owner asked us at short notice for a patrol service to keep an eye on the property.

Our approach: detection instead of spot checks

We were unable to offer patrols at this location. Instead, we proposed what we consider a more effective and more cost-efficient solution: autonomous video surveillance with self-sufficient detectors. They detect unauthorised persons the moment they enter the property and trigger further measures such as a siren or alerting the police. The property is monitored permanently rather than checked occasionally.

• Fully self-sufficient: the client provides neither power nor internet.

• Minimally invasive installation: as the house is for sale, it should not be damaged by extensive installations.

• Immediate response: the alarm goes off on entry, not at the next check.

Planning based on the cadastral map

Using an extract from the land register map, we planned the camera positions. The house shares a driveway with the neighbouring property, and the garden is freely accessible via an open entrance. That is where monitoring begins. The front door opens directly onto the pavement.

Property inspected, searched and secured

On site, we first walked through the entire building and the outdoor areas. The door to the courtyard was open with damaged glazing, and the cellar door was open as well. We found traces of fire, rubbish and clear signs that someone had been living in the house. After checking the whole building and confirming that no one was inside any more, we installed, aligned and function-tested the security technology. The courtyard has been secured ever since.

Result: intruder detected on entry

In the night of 20 October 2026, about eleven days after installation, the first uninvited visitor arrived. At around 00:57 the detector picked him up as soon as he entered the property, and the siren was triggered. The alerted police arrived a few minutes later. The person could not be apprehended.