Shooting strata properties

[SuperPickle]

For any of your real estate shooters out there.... how do you deal with requested shoots at condos or strata townhouse complexes? Generally I get uncomfortable with them because it feels invasive to the other neighbours and i feel like there's high potential for uncomfortable situations. Since it's all common property, there's no one owner who gives full and sole permission to take off and land from the property like a single detached house. Plus the situation is almost impossible to control with people coming and going etc.

In the past we've got our realtor clients to reach out to strata to get permission, but 9 times out of 10 somebody is not happy about the idea and the op gets shut down. Better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission?

Thoughts?
Thanks!

 

[nickaa]

Hey SuperPickle,

I have never been able to go through with a shoot at a property I even own, as you say people feel uneasy when you ask for permission from all the owners.

It is all about risk management, so (assuming you have an ReOC ) the operation being safe is the main priority.

If I were to approach this again I would launch off-site and maintain a little more distance, or assume that the strata or on-site manager permission is good enough.

Easier said than done I know, but with all the restrictions CASA imposes it is sometimes downright impossible to even get the drone out of its box let alone airborne.

 

[SuperPickle]

Hey SuperPickle,

I have never been able to go through with a shoot at a property I even own, as you say people feel uneasy when you ask for permission from all the owners.

It is all about risk management, so (assuming you have an ReOC ) the operation being safe is the main priority.

If I were to approach this again I would launch off-site and maintain a little more distance, or assume that the strata or on-site manager permission is good enough.

Easier said than done I know, but with all the restrictions CASA imposes it is sometimes downright impossible to even get the drone out of its box let alone airborne.

Appreciate the feedback. Yeah I'm all licensed up and it's all good on the safety front. Not only are detached houses less hassle, but there's so many more shots available than condos or townhouses. There's only so much I can do with those. But with a house that has a decent sized yard and some square footage to work with..... there's so much more I can do creatively.

But I appreciate you chiming in on this one.

 

[David01]

I feel for you...

I run into a lot of variety of the same permutations possible issues. I work for a architectural firm and take progress images and videos of projects over time. In any project the GC has no issues. But once projects are done and ownership reverts to condo boards or leasing owners ship or what not, its a whole other ballgame. When "talk to the board lawyer" comes up its a non starter, I walk.

Where possible, I get prior approval and am very careful to avoid instances where invasion of privacy can be inferred from just pointing my camera towards the building(s) from 100+ feet away. Never mind that bright outdoor lights and dark interiors make it pretty hard to discern anything inside any units from afar.

What helps is a lot of pre-planning. Using Google Earth to find good locations frame the shot so you can stand off, launch and shoot from beforehand. Take screen captures of what you want to line up with. Show to whoever has skin in the game for approval and let them know the limitations of the mission profile. Show and markup image map of launch points, location and direction of shots. Lots of times I launch straight up from offsite from vantage points and take quick pre-planned shots land and move to another location to repeat. Seldom having opportunities to move the drone from mid air to other vantage points. Since I have 5 fully charged batteries, that's possible since I NEVER launch from any battery used once and not fully recharged. That's my SOP, especially in urban locations.

Weekend and early morning during the summer are best times to catch the best possible breaks.

Hi Resolution camera shooting in both RAW and jpg for post production is your best friend.

Good luck,

 

[Harleydude]

I stopped taking residential real estate gigs a long time ago. But *occasionally* I'll take that kind of work if I have the time. For those jobs I always use my Mavic Pro. The thing is so small and diminutive that people hardly notice it.

There are other things I do...

For one, I always wear a dork vest (safety vest). It doesn't say "WARNING: DRONE PILOT! DO NOT DISTURB!" or any of that crap. It's just a plain old vest. For whatever reason, people see the construction vest and they tend to leave you alone. It doesn't work 100% of the time, but it filters out 90% of the curious.

Second; ALWAYS launch from PUBLIC property. I had a couple call the police because I launched from the street in front of their house. The cops showed up and told them that there was nothing they could.

For the curious people the dork vest doesn't filter out, I'm more than happy to show them what I'm doing and what I'm photographing. In my entire career, I've had only one jerk threaten to "call the police" and "shoot my drone down." I told him, "Let me save you a call." I called the police non-emergency number, put my cell on speaker and allowed him to hear me tell the police, "I have a person here threatening to discharge a firearm within city limits." He got in his car and drove back to his home. My girlfriend wrote down the license plate number, but got it wrong...argh. The police showed up and watched me finish my job. In 8 years, that only happened once. Most folks are nice, but guarded. It doesn't take much to break down those barriers. I find full disclosure and a friendly disposition are my best weapons.

And remember, the FAA controls the airspace. NEIGHBORS DO NOT. Ultimately, nobody can tell you to "not fly" over their property. I had one concerned father ask why I was flying over his yard where is children were. I was more than happy to explain my operation and offered to show him the footage. By the time we were done he shook my hand and we were on a first-name basis.

If they threaten to call the police, tell them that you'll save them a call.

D