It's just after midnight at a Toronto condominium. A courier has left a package near the lobby entrance, and a resident returning home holds the door for someone walking behind them. The stranger enters without using a fob or speaking to anyone at the front desk.
Nothing may come of it. Still, the situation raises a question that condo boards and property managers need to consider: who is keeping track of the people entering the building, particularly when most residents are asleep?
Good condo security starts with understanding how people move through a shared property. From lobby access and underground parking to staffing arrangements and fire safety responsibilities, several decisions determine how well a residential building is protected.
Why Toronto Multi-Residential Buildings Need a Security Plan
Toronto has more high-rise living than any other major Canadian metropolitan area. According to Statistics Canada's 2021 Census, 30.7% of occupied private dwellings in the Toronto census metropolitan area were apartments in buildings with five or more storeys.
That concentration of residents creates challenges that are different from those of a detached home. Hundreds of people may use the same entrances, elevators, parking facilities and shared amenities. Visitors, contractors and delivery drivers add to the daily traffic.
Local crime patterns are another consideration. In 2025, Toronto's Yonge-Bay Corridor recorded approximately 552 break-and-enter incidents per 100,000 residents, the second-highest neighbourhood rate in the city. Although those figures are not specific to condominiums, they illustrate why security risks need to be assessed at the property level.
A door that regularly fails to latch or a garage entrance that remains open longer than necessary can undermine otherwise sensible precautions.
Condominium boards are responsible for major decisions affecting their communities, including security arrangements. A practical security plan gives them a basis for deciding which risks need attention, how incidents should be handled and where building resources are best spent.
Protecting Lobbies, Parking Garages and Common Areas
A resident can control who enters their unit, but securing the shared parts of a building takes coordination.
Lobbies, corridors, elevators and parking garages are generally common elements in condominium properties. Their exact ownership and use arrangements depend on the condominium's governing documents, but they often serve residents and visitors throughout the day.
Access control is one of the simplest places to begin. Electronic fobs can limit entry to authorized users, while visitor registration helps front-desk personnel account for guests and contractors. Cameras positioned at entrances and garage access points can provide useful records when an incident needs to be investigated.
Parcel delivery deserves attention, too. Packages left unattended in a lobby are easier to take than those kept in a designated, access-controlled parcel room.
There is also the problem of tailgating, when someone follows a resident through a secured entrance without presenting their own credentials. Residents may hold doors open out of courtesy without knowing whether the person behind them belongs in the building.
Condo boards can reduce these risks by reviewing access procedures regularly. That includes checking active fob records, deactivating lost credentials and removing access permissions that are no longer needed.
Condo Security Guards, Concierge and Patrols
Not every residential property needs the same staffing arrangement.
In a busy high-rise, a concierge may spend much of the day greeting residents, receiving deliveries and directing visitors. A security guard's primary responsibilities centre on protecting people and property, monitoring access, responding to incidents and documenting concerns.
Some positions combine concierge and security responsibilities, but the duties need to be clearly defined. A person occupied with deliveries cannot simultaneously inspect a distant parking garage.
Mobile patrols offer another option. Instead of remaining at one location, personnel visit designated areas on a schedule, checking entrances, parking facilities and other parts of the property for unusual activity or maintenance concerns.
Smaller buildings may find scheduled overnight patrols more appropriate than a continuously staffed lobby. A large condominium with heavy visitor traffic, multiple entrances and extensive amenities may benefit from 24-hour front-desk coverage.
The choice should reflect the building's layout, operating hours, incident history and budget rather than simply copying another property's arrangements.
When comparing condo security guards and patrol options, boards should also establish how incidents will be reported, who receives urgent notifications and what staff are expected to do during an emergency.
Ontario requires individuals working as security guards to hold valid licences. Businesses selling security guard services must also maintain the appropriate agency licence. These credentials should be checked before entering into a contract.
Fire Safety Duties for Building Security Staff
Security personnel may also have responsibilities under a building's fire safety plan. Those duties deserve particular attention because responding to a fire alarm is very different from handling an unauthorized visitor.
Ontario's Fire Code requires buildings covered by its emergency-planning provisions, including many multi-storey residential properties, to have an approved and implemented fire safety plan.
The plan identifies emergency procedures, responsibilities and the operation of relevant fire protection systems. Depending on their assigned roles, supervisory staff may include property managers, superintendents, security personnel and other building employees.
A building's fire safety plan must be reviewed at least every 12 months and revised when necessary to reflect changes in the property.
Ontario's updated Fire Code came into effect on January 1, 2026. The changes prompted additional guidance for condominium communities, including recommendations to examine existing fire safety plans and determine whether updates are needed.
For building security personnel, preparation means knowing their assigned responsibilities before an emergency occurs. They may need to notify emergency services, follow established alarm procedures, help coordinate access for firefighters or carry out other duties specified in the approved plan.
Boards and property managers should confirm that everyone assigned a fire safety role has received the necessary instructions and training. These responsibilities should never be left to assumptions made during an actual emergency.
Strata Properties, Townhouse Complexes and Rental Buildings
The principles of residential security apply across different property types, although their layouts and management arrangements can change what works.
In British Columbia, condominium-style ownership is commonly organized through strata corporations. Ontario generally uses the term condominium corporations. Both involve shared property responsibilities, but their legal requirements are not identical.
For a Toronto condominium tower, the main challenge may be managing a busy lobby and underground parking access. A townhouse complex presents a different situation. Homes may have separate street-level entrances, while shared parking areas, pathways and recreational facilities extend across a much larger site.
That layout may make regular patrols and exterior lighting particularly useful.
Rental apartment buildings have their own management structure. Instead of an elected condominium board overseeing common property, the landlord or property management company generally makes decisions about building security.
Within an Ontario condominium, a licensed condominium manager typically coordinates day-to-day operations under the board's direction. That can include administering security contracts, addressing residents' complaints and communicating operational issues to directors.
Whatever the property type, the aim is to identify its actual vulnerabilities rather than assume that every residential building requires identical staffing, equipment or procedures.
Building a Security Plan Your Board Can Review Each Year
A useful security plan should change when the building changes.
Condo boards can make security part of their annual property review, ideally alongside the required fire safety plan review. Examine incident reports, access records, staffing arrangements and concerns raised by residents. Pay particular attention to recurring problems that have not been resolved.
Before renewing or signing a security contract, confirm that the proposed coverage matches the property's needs. Check the provider's agency licence through Ontario's public security licensing registry and verify the credentials of guards assigned to the property.
Those steps give the board a practical basis for its decisions and help keep residential security arrangements relevant as the community grows and changes.
