Bed bug infestation presents high costs for hospitality sector

Being such a large city, London has always attracted pests, and with the busy event calendar in 2012 (including Olympics and the Royal Jubilee), the number of extra visitors to the capital will also mean extra pests, particularly bedbugs. These bloodthirsty creatures will be prominent in hotel beds, public transport, cinemas, airports, retail outlets and offices.

The cost of bedbug infestation to the hospitality sector could be extremely high and often go beyond treatment expenses.

Other costs associated with bed bug infestation include: 

• Loss of earnings
• Relocation of guests
• Furniture replacement
• Legal expenses and possible law suits
• Negative media coverage and related loss of earnings

So if you are advertising your hotel or restaurant in conjuction with tourist-attracting events this year be sure to check your environment is pest free. Otherwise beware the power of a TripAdvisor review entitled 'Bedbugs'!

SitexOrbis featured in Tomorrow's Cleaning (June 2012)

SitexOrbis raise money for Help for Heroes with royal themed exhibition stand

Vacant property service provider SitexOrbis caused quite a buzz at CIH Housing 2012 with a castle-themed stand and royal look-alike guests. Over 700 delegates came to SitexOrbis’ stand, had the opportunity to have their photo taken with the royals, and in doing so helped to raise over £1,000 for the charity Help for Heroes. SitexOrbis is extremely grateful to all CIH members for their overwhelming response.


SitexOrbis has been providing innovative void security solutions and integrated property services to social landlords for over 25 years, and in the last three years has won 13 awards for its innovative products and excellence in customer services. This year’s focus was the company’s latest innovation, iSecurity, a keyless security solution which combines a portable, intelligent iTrap alarm with an innovative keyless, remotely programmable iDoor. Live demos were also given of the videofied visual verification alarm, a rapidly-deployable and cost-effective portable intruder alarm that can be used anywhere, and of Aura, the online customer portal.

Celebrate at CIH Housing 2012

In celebration of The Queen's Diamond Jubilee, vacant property protection specialist SitexOrbis is to host a few royal guests - The Queen, William and Kate (or rather their very convincing lookalikes) at the Housing 2012 conference and exhibition in Manchester from 12 – 14 June 2012

The royal guests will be housed at SitexOrbis’ stand D34 which is to be transformed into a royal castle which is a symbolic gesture of SitexOrbis’ service offerings including protection, reliability, continuity and commitment to delivery. Visitors to the stand can even have their photo taken with their favourite royal lookalikes.

Recognising the notion that “your home is your castle”, SitexOrbis has been providing innovative void security solutions and integrated property services to clients in the social and private housing sectors for over 25 years.

The company has transformed social landlords’ approach to void management, ensuring that voids are turned around quicker than ever before. This means that waiting lists can be reduced and people re-homed faster and in a better standard of housing.

Over the past two years the company’s innovative approach and products, combined with strong customer service has been recognised with 13 awards, including the Most Innovative New Product of the Year 2012 from Housing Innovation Awards.

The castle shaped stand in the main exhibition hall will promote iSecurity, the latest in security innovation, which combines iTRAP, a portable, intelligent alarm with iDOOR, an innovative keyless, remotely programmable access management system. This exclusive security system gives the social housing landlord complete peace of mind that their properties are secured and monitored 24/7 by a BS5979 Cat II Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC). It was launched in response to the growing sophistication of today’s thieves.

Delegates can also learn about SitexOrbis’ Videofied solution, which recently saved Liverpool social housing provider, One Vision Housing, an estimated £1 million by preventing the theft of boilers from its empty properties. Theft attempts have fallen from at least two per week to zero, equating to about £1 million over four years following the arrest of several intruders who broke into an empty property containing a SitexOrbis Videofied portable intruder alarm with a visual verification camera.

SitexOrbis’ eMAKS access system solution, an efficiency boosting key that opens up to 6,000 locks and has won multiple awards, will also be showcased. Central to eMAKS (Electronically Managed Access Key Systems) is an electronic key that can be continually reprogrammed remotely to control access to a multitude of properties.. Access reports are provided for health and safety and invoicing, and the travel and administration associated with key collections are eliminated.

SitexOrbis’ innovative solutions are backed by Aura, a real-time web-based workflow management and reporting system enabling customers to instruct, control and track progress of all jobs undertaken by their contractors. The technology delivers vast data across the breadth of SitexOrbis’ product offering with comprehensive search technologies, mapping functions, trend analysis and report printing capabilities. Clients simply log on and access information at the click of a mouse. It also provides a full audit trail.

SitexOrbis will enjoy an involved role at this year’s conference both hosting an evening of dinner, drinks and comedy as part of the first evening’s entertainment and sponsoring the CIH Engage and Connect event, attended by over 200 senior housing professionals including the Housing Minister on the 13^th June.

Visit stand D34 at the CIH Housing 2012 exhibition in Manchester from 12-14 June 2012 to see SitexOrbis’ innovative products and solutions.

Delegates are encouraged to book their photo slot with The Queen or William and Kate online at www.sitexorbis.com/royals 

One-Stop Void Property Security Solutions

by Debansu Das, Head of Marketing, SitexOrbis.

Parts of the UK are addressing the vacant property dilemma in innovative ways. Burnley Council, for example, recently announced that as part of its vacant property initiative 56 houses would be acquired through compulsory purchase orders, refurbished and offered to first-time buyers via a purchase assistance loans scheme.

But still the number of UK vacant properties continues to rise. The Empty Homes Agency estimates that as of November 2011 there were 930,000 empty homes, 350,000 of which are long term empty. The problem is also prevalent in the social housing sector, and social landlords are always seeking innovative approaches to vacant property management. The risks of negating to do so are just too substantial. Properties lying empty not only forfeit potential rental income but are also magnets for squatting, vandalism, metal theft, arson, graffiti and fly-tipping. They can also be a blight on areas and communities.

SitexObis has established itself as a leading provider of innovative void security and vacant property management solutions. The company has transformed social landlords’ approach to void management, ensuring that voids can be turned around quicker than ever before. This means that waiting lists can be reduced and people rehomed quicker in better housing.

Over the past two years the company’s innovative approach and products, combined with strong customer service has won it 13 awards, including the Most Innovative New Product of the Year category at this March’s Housing Innovation Awards. SitexOrbis took home the trophy for its integrated void property solution, which combines property security with 24/7 monitored battery-powered videofied alarms, and real-time tracking via Aura.

Information management solution

Aura is SitexOrbis’ real-time web-based workflow management and reporting system, which enables customers to instruct, control and track the progress of all jobs undertaken by their contractors. The technology delivers vast data across the breadth of SitexOrbis’ product offering with comprehensive search technologies, mapping functions, trend analysis and report printing capabilities. Clients no longer need to literally drown in piles of paperwork or deal with hundreds of phone calls, chasing suppliers and property visits... that’s nearly half a day and up to 150 miles per week wasted. With Aura, clients simply log on and access information at the click of a mouse. It also provides a full audit trail.

Security solutions

As well as Sitex® screens and Permascreens, clients are now turning to SitexOrbis’ videofied solution as an excellent security solution. In fact Videofied recently saved Liverpool social housing provider One Vision Housing an estimated £1 million by preventing the theft of boilers from its empty properties. Theft attempts have fallen from at least two per week to none, equating to about £1 million over four years, since the arrest of several intruders who broke into an empty property containing a SitexOrbis Videofied portable intruder alarm with a visual verification camera. The camera was activated as soon as the intruders entered, transmitting a series of 10-second video images to SitexOrbis’ 24/7 BS5979 Category II accredited alarm receiving centre (ARC) in north-west England. A trained SitexOrbis operator immediately alerted Merseyside Police who reviewed the video footage and were able to track the intruders down.

Property access solution

SitexOrbis’ eMAKS access system solution, an efficiency boosting key that opens up to 6,000 locks, has also won awards and client acclaim. Central to eMAKS (Electronically Managed Access Key Systems) is an electronic key that can be continually reprogrammed remotely to control access to a multitude of properties, thereby solving the problem of not being able to find a key such as in an emergency. Access reports are provided for health and safety and invoicing, and the travel and administration associated with key collections are eliminated. The key, about the same size as many car keys, can’t be duplicated and comes with easy to fit locks that can’t be picked. Reprogramming is routed through the SitexOrbis ARC mentioned above. One happy user at Client Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council reports saving three hours each day because they no longer have to travel to provide keys for tradesmen. Energy wise, a Ford Transit van travelling 100 miles a week just to pick up and return keys would save emitting 13.5kgs of CO2 into the atmosphere each week.

Integrated one-stop solution

As part of the integrated vacant property management solution SitexOrbis also offers specialist cleaning and clearing services including pest control, infection control, fly-tipping and bulk waste removal, graffiti removal, needle sweeps and mould eradication. The company’s innovative approach can be seen in all of these areas. Take mould for example. Usually it is only superficially treated and so comes comes back with a vengeance. SitexOrbis’ approach involves a four-stage treatment process which uses a unique vaporising technique to kill the mould spores, ensuring the mould is totally eradicated and not just covered up.

As is often the case, clients tasked with managing vacant properties require numerous services all in one. That’s where SitexOrbis comes in. By offering an integrated approach, SitexOrbis saves clients significant hassle and the expense of managing multiple contractors.

Visit stand D34 at the CIH Housing 2012 exhibition in Manchester from 12-14 June 2012 to see SitexOrbis’ innovative products and solutions

Top ten tips: Vacant property

People and property specialist SitexOrbis has been featured in the March 2012 issue of the BIFM Corporate Newsletter. Sitex has a close association with the institute; in addition to being corporate members for a number of years, the organisation has spoken at BIFM regional events, is writing a BIFM Good Practice Guide to empty property management and has won two BIFM awards including the Product of the Year award in 2010.

BIFM NEWS: Top ten tips: Vacant property

The number of empty buildings is increasing and vacant properties mean the loss of significant rental income for property owners and the threat of squatters, vandals, arson, graffiti and fly-tipping, all of which are a major FM headache. Here Mark Cosh, director at SitexOrbis explains how to manage them:

1. Prevention is easier than cure: keeping vacant property secure and preventing intruders, squatters and break-ins, and getting the property reoccupied quickly is cheaper than dealing with problems after they occur.

2. Conduct a risk assessment, looking at both how squatters or intruders could access the property and other potential sources of damage.

3. Disconnect services to the property to prevent water damage or fire risk and check protective installations such as fire detection and alarm systems. Property owners may be liable if a squatter or intruder injures himself within the property.

4. Don't advertise the fact that the property is vacant. Avoid a pile of post by the front door, a clear view into an empty space, unkempt external areas including graffiti, fly-tipping and even long grass and untidy planting, or broken windows.

5. Seal up the letterbox to ensure that a pile of post doesn't become fuel for an arsonist and letters are returned or forwarded rather than going unanswered.

6. Inform your insurer that the property is empty so that you are covered in the event of an intrusion.

7. Secure the premises using the most appropriate means from demountable steel screens to wireless alarms, CCTV or even manned guards and dog patrols.

8. Keep track of the entry/exit details to the premises. Catching and dealing with break-ins is essential to prevent squatters gaining access.

9. Make regular visits to the property to inspect it, and make sure these visits provide an audit trail, such as by using a time and date stamped camera and/or hand-held computer, in case there is a later insurance claim.

10. Demonstrate to potential intruders or squatters that you are serious about security and they are likely to move on to an easier target.

For a free copy of the vacant property management code of practice, email info@sitexorbis.com