How Important Is Security To Your Storage Facility?

Self storage facilities are a convenient way to keep belongings you don't immediately need in a safe place when you don't have enough room at home, but how safe are they really? Every storage facility has a different set of security features, and the mixture of local and roaming thieves can change the importance of those features on a daily basis. Here's an overview of storage facility security to understand what you need, what you don't, and how to confirm feature quality to be sure.

Lock Types And Entry Protection

The lock and door are the easiest entry points, and the security improvements usually begin with the lock.

Basic security features will provide a door that can be locked with a padlock or other locks using a bar or chain. This will stop people from casually walking by and opening the door to take what they want, but it's no match for a bolt cutter.

At the basic level, don't store anything that can be sold to a pawn shop for more than a hundred dollars. Old clothing, paperwork, and furniture that is hard to simply walk away with are fine, but for anything else, make sure that you have an indoor facility or surveillance options.

An indoor facility is almost always a vast improvement. These facilities have limited entry points and usually have some form of surveillance. The doors usually come with better locks, and even if they don't, the echo of bolt cutters is usually loud enough to rouse suspicion if the facility has guards or staff available.

Surveillance Features

Security cameras are a must if your belongings are worth more than a few hundred dollars or are hard to replace. Cameras act as both a deterrent and a way to identify thieves, but you'll need to make sure that the cameras are actually working. This may seem like a common sense issue, but it's not unheard of for businesses to install non-working cameras or camera cover domes as simple deterrents.

Plan a specific time and date to visit the storage facility. Stand in view of the security cameras, then ask to see surveillance from that time and date. This will help you figure out if the system is working and able to record information.

Security guards are instrumental in stopping thieves who spend a lot of time to planning before they act. Most security features are deterrents and serve to slow down a potential thief. Still, an industrious thief may notice an opportune stretch of time to pick harder locks or bypass security features. A security team can make life even harder for thieves. Make sure that the security guard team is present 24/7, or at least at night when regular staff is gone.

Contact a self storage facility to discuss self storage unit features that can protect your valuables during long-term leasing.

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