It started in Mesa, Arizona — and it works.

The Crime Free Multi-Housing Program started in 1992 in Mesa, AZ, when Tim Zehring of the Mesa Police Department was tasked to design a safety program that would work in rental housing. The Neighborhood Watch or Block Watch program that worked so well in established single-family neighborhoods was not working in multi-family rental properties because of a lack of ownership and pride on the part of some renters — and in some cases, the owners.

People with criminal intent were moving into rental property to ply their trade, resulting in expensive repairs and constant police calls. Renters didn’t care, owners couldn’t maintain safe and secure apartments, and police continued to answer repeat calls. No matter where you traveled, the same problems were consistent from property to property.

Using some basic crime prevention ideas, Tim packaged a program that has had a tremendous influence on rental properties around the country and the world. This multi-faceted program had no precedent. And it works!

The backbone: the Crime Free Lease Addendum

The program’s three phases begin with the co-operative teaching of managers, owners and law enforcement, move to working together to provide a safe environment, and finally provide information to tenants on how they can help maintain a safe place to live. The Crime Free Lease Addendum — listing specific criminal acts that, if committed on the property, result in immediate termination of the lease — proved to be the backbone of the program.

The program achieved almost instant success, with certified properties showing an average 75% reduction in crime and/or police calls — and as much as 90% in some cases.