Live-in pub guardians: situations vacant

When Adrian Biszczamik gets home from his night shift working as a security guard, he makes himself a cup of coffee and pulls up a stool at the bar of the Beaumont Arms in Leyton, East London.

There's time for a snooze in the bedroom above the pub's main bar and a work-out at the gym located in the function room before making his way out of the door to start another night shift.

On days off, Adrian and friends gather in a small back room of the pub which has no windows and is practically sound proof, to play their instruments and write songs. There's the beer garden filled with decaying old sofas for when it's hot and sunny and after finding a full-sized table football set at a car boot sale, there's now regular football as well as darts tournaments.

But there's no beer and there hasn't been for five years. The pub signs may still be up, the darts board may still have the scores from the last game chalked across it and the stools may still be lined up at the bar - but this pub has served its last pint.

The Beaumont, which is sandwiched between the busy train tracks that take commuters from nearby Walthamstow to Central London, and a development of modern flats, is earmarked for demolition. Its site will, in time be used to build more of the same flats that now surround it.

But for now, while permission is sought and plans are finalised, for Adrian it's home.

Live-in guardians

As pubs fall empty, be it permanently or for just short periods of time as tenants move on or businesses are sold, there are an increasing number of companies offering novel ways to keep buildings and their contents safe. And most importantly, insurers happy.

From live-in guardians to bespoke security systems that can include anything from ultraviolet dyes to snare intruders, to caretakers and temporary alarm systems, the days of simply boarding up the pub may be over.

Also, the circumstances and the reasons for which people need additional security for empty pubs are changing, according to Nick Hilton, business development manager of Ad Hoc Property Management.

The company places live-in guardians like Adrian in buildings ranging from churches to offices and, more recently, pubs. According to Nick, it isn't just the fabled 52 pubs that close a week that call on the company for assistance.

Waiting for the right price

"Pubs are a very tempting target for anti-social behaviour as they are interesting buildings. People think they are going to find alcohol inside or cigarettes or interesting or valuable equipment so they really are targeted a lot more than, say, an empty warehouse," he says.

"We have a pub on our books that didn't go through at auction. It is a pretty depressed market at the moment. The owners made an investment and expected to recoup it. They put it through an auction with a reserve on it and will keep doing so until it sells for what they want. In the meantime, we have the building.

"We're also looking after a 12th century pub that is between tenants. The insurance company is insisting there is 24-hour security. But we also get people using us to avoid having to board up their pub. Sometimes it is better for the community and is more socially responsible, as there are so many boarded up already."

Ad Hoc is one of a number of companies which place people like Adrian in empty buildings as a security measure. It has 8,000 people looking after 4,000 buildings across England and Wales, and the number of pubs on its books is increasing.

A guardian gets to live in an unusual building, which usually means a great deal of living space, and a very low rent - on average around £40 per week. In return, the pub's owner pays all utility bills and gets protection from looters, vandals and squatters.

Empty property rates still apply as technically the building is not occupied. But no management fee is charged on the first property. Nick says that for those who need a 24-hour presence in their buildings, this method is not only inexpensive but has social benefits too, not least because it spares communities from the eyesore and blight that can be caused when buildings get boarded up.

Affordable housing

Adrian is from Poland and plans to stay and work in London for one more year before returning home. Due to his need for affordable housing, he has always lived in the UK as a property guardian.

Other residents in Ad Hoc's buildings include artists, actors and writers as well as young professionals. All guardians must be over 21, employed, and agree to a strict set of rules that include having no children, pets or parties on the premises.

For Adrian, the rent may be minimal, but he and his flatmate have really earned their low-cost accommodation.

"Living here is fantastic. The amount of space here you just cannot get in London for the same price. But at the beginning we had bad luck," he says. "On the second day, we were flooded because the roof leaked. A few times people have tried to get in. Just kids. We've concentrated on decorating and cleaning to make the place feel comfortable, like a home.

"But we never know how long we will be able to stay here, so from one side, we don't want to invest too much money in it."

It is the flexibility of having a guardian, that makes it such an attractive solution for an empty pub, says Nick. As the occupation is not on a tenancy agreement, but a temporary licence, owners, contractors, workmen, or agents on viewings can access the property at a moment's notice. Just a two-week notice period is required when the property is needed back.

Specific solutions

But Mark Cosh, European director of security company SitexOrbis, says that pub owners need to be more flexible with how they manage any empty pubs they have. He says that many are not using the right security methods for their circumstances and this is costing people unnecessarily.

"Pubs close for very different reasons, such as someone being taken ill and closing for just a short period and rather than just shutter up a pub, we work to provide a specific solution," he says.

From the point of vacancy the company can completely manage a pub - including stocktakes and removals, caretaking, health and safety checks, security guards, deep cleaning, structural checks and steel shuttering. "If people want to get in, they will. So you have to think differently and work to remove the gang and so remove the problems," explains Mark.

"There seems to be this attitude that when you have a problem with a property that is being continually vandalised, all that happens is that the insurer insists the landlord puts higher levels of security in, which is crazy.

"Among other methods, we fit equipment that covers criminals with an ultraviolet spray. You get a lot of attempts until you manage it in a certain way. Until thieves know that if they're going to break in they will get caught, they'll keep going."

Back at the Beaumont Arms, four months after Adrian moved in, word seems to have got around that the building is occupied and the attempted break-ins have stopped.

Adrian is busy planning more decorating work, this time to the accommodation above the pub, to get it ready for some more friends to move in.

How long before the pub is actually reduced to rubble, no-one yet knows, but for now Adrian is staying put.

"I love it here," he says. "I think I will stay until the end. It's funny because almost every day there are people coming in and asking is it open. And I have to say 'not today!'"