What happens when I tap Contact Security?

Contact Security logs an incident, opens an urgent message thread you can follow, and emails your community's security recipients — but it is not an emergency line.

J Joey Zach · Last updated Sep 20, 2026

Contact Security sits on your home screen, and in the iPhone app it is also in the Contacts screen as the Contact Security sheet. It is for concerns that need the security team's attention — a stranger at the pool, a gate that has been left open — not for emergencies. If someone is in danger, call your local emergency number first.

Send a message

Tap Contact Security.
Describe what is happening and where, in up to 5,000 characters. The dialog says “Describe your concern and the security team will be notified.”
Tap Notify security. You will see “Security has been notified”.

What happens behind the scenes

An incident is recorded with your message and the time, so there is a security record even if nobody replies in the thread.
A message thread opens in your community's Security queue, with the subject “Security request from <your name>” and Urgent priority so it sorts above routine questions. You can find it under Messages.
An email goes out to the recipients your community has configured for incidents, showing the date, time, your message, the community and your name and unit. Depending on how your community routes these requests, the property contact may be copied as well.

Where the reply arrives

Open Messages to read and continue the thread. When the office or security team answers, you are notified with “New reply — Security request from <your name>”, which names who replied but never includes the message text, so you do not need to keep the thread open. You only see your own threads; nobody else's requests are visible to you.

Good to know

The button is rate-limited to prevent flooding, so send one clear message rather than several.
The Security queue cannot be renamed or hidden by the office, because this button depends on it — your message will always land somewhere.
Contact Security is not monitored as an emergency service. Use it to report and to get a written reply; use the phone for anything urgent.

See “What to do in an emergency” and “How do I contact my community office or security?” for the directory of phone numbers.