The storage security is an issue that most individuals do not consider until something goes amiss. A missing box. A tampered lock. That gutted-out stomach-drop that comes when you find out that the unit you thought was so safe was not just half the store you thought that it was. Don’t be that person. Get the facts!
Self storage does not come cheaply. The current facilities bear hardly any resemblance to darkened chain-link warehouses of the two decades ago. Contemporary storage facilities are constructed with grave security infrastructure – and being aware on what to look after, is the distinction between a shrewd renter and one who incurred an expensive lesson.
It has a security feature of climate control.
Human beings are obsessed with locks and cameras without considering a more elusive danger; the elements. The heat, the humidity and the cold freeze can ruin it just as much as any burglary. Electronics are ruined by moisture. Leather dries and cracks. Photographs turn yellow and fade away. In case what you are storing cannot be replaced, climate-controlled units are not a luxury option, but rather simple security with a monthly charge.
The good facilities and the great facilities are divided by the access control.
The minimum is the bare minimum, which is a keypad on the entrance gate. In high quality facilities, it goes even a step further: unit specific alarms, sensors that turn on when an individual moves, and logs of access trace to the associated item that show exactly who turned it on and when. Others go as far as to provide biometric access. It may seem like over killings to use fingerprint scanners on a box of used sports equipment but legal documents or business inventory? It makes a lot of sense that much control should exist.
There is no certainty of camera coverage.
there are twelve cameras that cover four hundred units which leaves a lot of blind spots. Always make inquiries as to the position of the cameras before signing anything. The one that loses that question is telling you something- without uttering a word.
On-site personnel are more important than most of the renters believe.
Technology fails. Systems crash. Power goes out. The presence of a human being on the ground who is open at times of access is an extra inclusivity of accountability that no computerised application or sensor system can substitute fully.
Don’t gamble on insurance.
The storage facilities have a low level of liability on what occurs within the units. The current policy that is held by your current homeowner or your current renter may provide a certain amount of coverage but off-premises sub-limits are horrifyingly low. An add-on specifically designed to provide storage insurance is generally cheap and seals that gap completely.
Lastly, check on the perimeter. Useful anti-climbing fences are more relevant than ornamental boards. Units that are based on the ground floor are convenient but more exposed. Natural friction is induced by interior or upper-floor units – and as it happens, inconvenience is one of the most underestimated safety features in the business. Use it to your advantage.