Proof the community was really patrolled.
Residents ask whether anyone walks the garage at night, and the board pays for the patrol either way. Put a QR code at each gate, garage level and amenity. Whoever patrols scans as they go, a missed round emails the manager, and the board gets a report each morning.
HOA & apartment patrols
What the board and residents want to know.
Whether the patrol is your own courtesy officer or a contract guard company, the question is the same: was the community actually walked last night? A scan at each checkpoint answers it, with times nobody can fill in later.
Hiring a patrol company? Post your own codes and have their officers scan them. The record is yours, whoever walks the round.
- The patrol really happened
- A time- and GPS-stamped scan at every gate, garage and amenity, round after round.
- The contract is being met
- Rounds on the schedule you're paying for, and an email to the manager when one's missed.
- Problems get found
- A checklist at each stop: gate latched, lights on, pool closed. A Problem opens an incident with photos.
- Residents can flag things
- A resident who scans a code can report a broken gate or a light out, with a photo.
- A report for the board
- Each day's rounds and incidents, emailed each morning with a private link. No portal login.
How it works
Set up in minutes, from your phone.
No readers, no wands and no app to roll out. If your people can take a photo, they can scan a checkpoint.
- 01
List the places to check
Gates, garage levels, the pool, clubhouse, mail room and trash enclosures. Pick when rounds happen, like every two hours overnight.
- 02
Post the codes
A weatherproof sticker at each spot, or an NFC tag where a sticker would get peeled off.
- 03
Whoever patrols, scans
Courtesy officer, porter, maintenance or a contract guard: their own phone, no app, a name or PIN once a shift.
An example route
What a night patrol route looks like.
Several buildings? Give each its own route. Patrols only on weekend nights? Pick just those days.
Checkpoints
In walking order- FG01Front gate
- Gate closes and latches?
- Call box working?
- PG02Pool gate
- Gate locked?
- Pool area empty?
- CL03Clubhouse
- Doors locked?
- Lights off?
- GP04Garage P1 Photo required
- Lights working?
- Nobody loitering?
- TE05Trash enclosure
- Gate closed?
- No dumping?
Night patrol
Every day · 10 PM – 6 AM · every 2 hours
Missed checkpoints are emailed as each round ends, by name.
A round not started is emailed 30 minutes in, while there's time to act.
A Problem on any checklist needs a note, and is emailed to you as an incident.
What you get
Everything the record needs. Nothing to learn.
Rounds on the contract's schedule
Every two hours overnight, hourly on weekends, or your own hours. Every round has to reach every checkpoint.
Missed-round alerts
An email to the manager naming what was skipped, as the round ends. Another if a round hasn't started.
Residents can report problems
A broken gate, a light out, a car in the fire lane: anyone who scans a code can tell you, with a photo.
A report for the board
Yesterday's rounds and incidents in the board's inbox each morning, with a private link. No accounts.
Proof that holds up
GPS stamps, pinned checkpoints, photo checkpoints and flags on scans that came too fast.
Codes that last outdoors
Weatherproof stickers, or NFC tags that can sit behind a sign or inside a gate post.
Plus everything else in PatrolBadges: NFC tags, PINs, incident reports, offline scanning, CSV export and four sticker layouts. See all features
Pricing
Free to start. Priced by the checkpoint after that.
A small community with up to 5 checkpoints is free. A complex with 20 is $19 a month, with no per-officer fees, so it costs the same whoever does the walking.
Free for up to 5 checkpoints. Pro is $9 a month for your first 10 checkpoints, plus $1 a month for each one after that. Officers, routes and scans are unlimited on both. No per-user fees, hardware, contracts or setup costs.
$9 for your first 10 checkpoints, plus 10 × $1.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
The quickest answer is to try it: add your checkpoints and scan one from your phone in about two minutes. No card. Or ask us.
How do we know our patrol company is actually patrolling?
Put your own QR codes at the places the contract says they'll check, and have their officers scan them. Each scan is time- and GPS-stamped, every round has to reach every checkpoint, and you're emailed when one's missed. The record belongs to the community, not the vendor, and it stays when you change companies.
Can our maintenance staff or porter do the rounds instead of a guard?
Yes. Anyone with a phone can patrol: they scan the code, type their name or PIN once a shift, and every visit after that logs on arrival. Nothing to install, and no account for them.
Can residents see the patrol report?
Only the people you send it to. Add board members' or the manager's addresses and they get yesterday's report each morning with a private, view-only link. Reset the link anytime to cut off access.
Won't residents scan the codes too?
They can, and that's useful: anyone who scans without being on patrol can report a problem, which reaches you as an incident from a visitor. Turn on officer PINs so only your patrol can log a round.
Will stickers survive outside?
Use weatherproof label paper, or card stock in a laminate pouch. NFC tags are harder to vandalize and can sit behind a sign or inside a gate post. If a code gets damaged, reissue it from the dashboard.
How much does it cost for an HOA?
Free for up to 5 checkpoints. Pro is $9 a month for your first 10 checkpoints, plus $1 a month for each one after that. Officers, routes and scans are unlimited on both. Every feature is on both plans.
Know the community was walked last night.
Add your checkpoints and scan them from your phone, right off your screen. No card, and sign up only when you're ready to keep it.
- How to Know Your Security Guards Are Really Doing Their RoundsCheckpoints, schedules and alerts: how to prove rounds happened, and the tricks to watch for.
- Free Security Patrol Log Template (Printable PDF & Excel)A one-page patrol log sheet: time, location, findings and initials for every stop on every round.
- How Much Does a Guard Tour System Cost? Real Prices, ComparedPublished prices, from free plans to per-guard apps and wand hardware, side by side.
- The Best Guard Tour Apps & Systems in 2026, by Who They're ForEight guard tour apps and systems, with real published prices and who each one suits.
More ways to use PatrolBadges
- Guard toursSecurity patrols with a QR code at every checkpoint and alerts when one's missed.
- Fire watchRounds every 30 minutes while the alarm or sprinklers are down, logged for the fire marshal.
- Construction sitesAfter-hours rounds of the gate, containers, fuel and equipment, proven with a scan at each.
- WarehousesAfter-hours rounds of dock doors, yards and fence lines, with a checklist at each stop.
- Church safety teamsDoor and building checks by a volunteer safety team, before, during and after services.
- Vacant propertyInspections of empty buildings on the schedule your insurer sets, with photos at every stop.
- Facility roundsDaily walks of the boiler room, risers, generator and roof, with a checklist at each stop.
- Night checksOvernight hall and door checks in group homes, shelters and dorms, with safety for staff working alone.
- Restroom cleaningA QR code in place of the clipboard on the door, with a checklist and a photo at every clean.