They are also known as Self Storage which is a short form for Self-service Storage, as well as mini storage. It is an industry that focuses on storage space that has rooms, lockers, and containers, among many others. They are normally rented to tenants usually for a short period of times—one month at a time. These tenants can be individuals as well as companies. This Self Storage industry is primary based in the United Sates. It has been estimated that around 50.000 storage facilities are currently in the U.S. in 2018. When people discuss about the reason or the kinds of people who usually rent these storage facilities, experts usually refer to “4 Ds of life” which are death, divorce, downsizing, and dislocation; dislocation normally refers to people moving to new places where there’s smaller space resulting in the need to look for other alternatives to keep their belongings safe.
When people fall victims to burglary, the experience is absolutely awful. However, when you get your self-storage is robbed, the feeling is even more disconcerting. This is one of the reasons why experts highly recommend taking precautions when renting this service since self-storage theft is a problem that has increased along the years as more and more storage facilities are created. So, you should be concerned with this issue if you are considering paying for the service of a storage unit. However, a lot of people are at this very moment considering if storage unit burglary is an actual problem and if customers are going to have to deal with a great increasing in storage unit crime more than they have for the last ten years.
It is very difficult to answer this question just with the data we possess at the moment since there isn’t much information about this issue. And, according to vice-president of business development at PTI security systems which is specialized in storage unit security hardware and software, it is important to keep in mind that shows like “Storage Wars” as well as “Auction Hunters” are making these storage facilities more and more famous. So there exists the possibility that this kind of theft is only being pay closer attention because of this phenomenon. According to the storage almanac in 2012 which was compiled by MiniCo Insurance Agency, 7% of storage facilities in the United States had claimed to be broken in or robbed in the previous year. In two 2010 the number was 18.2%. this means that there was a huge decrease, but we cannot deny that this problem still remains.
It is a great idea to rely on alarm systems or neighbor watch in order to protect your storage spaces. Don’t forget that you need to be proactive in order to help reduce the cases of storage unit theft and more importantly, to help protect your belongings.
How to Choose a Secure Storage Unit Facility?
In order to protect your stored belongings and avoid expending money to replace your stolen personal items, you always need to be careful when selecting your storage facility, said co-owner of personal finance website moneycrashers.com, Andrew Schrage. It is of great important for you to review all the security features on the list, you can also call the manager if you have questions, and you can even visit the facility before you decide to rent. If you are not sure about the security measures that are necessary to know whether a storage facility is secure or not, one of the suggestions that Schrage has for you is to make sure that the indoor and outdoor areas have proper illumination if you have the opportunity to visit the facility and take a tour before renting or even deciding to rent. It is also highly recommended to ask the manager if the facility performs a stable relationship with the security department of the area, such as police department among others. Also take the opportunity to gather information about the frequency for the police to patrol the area or if they do it at all.
Video cams surveillance system technology can help enhance the protection of the facilities by detecting potential thieves that are spotted by the cameras. Nevertheless, it is commonly known that such surveillance devices are made in order to know how the crime was committed and try to identify the criminal or criminals instead of preventing such criminal acts. Moreover, if you are very serious about giving it all in order to make your personal items a truly secure storage facility, it is highly recommended choosing a storage facility that has access control system as well as individual door alarms since these services are actually the best when you are looking to protect your belongings from being stolen while being stored in self-storage facilities. An access control system is definitely a great choice when looking to protect your belongings since it requires the tenders manage individual codes, remotes or security cards, in order to enter the facility. It does not only make it very difficult for burglars to enter to the indoor areas of the facility but it also helps the manager and the security team be more organized by giving them the chance to have a list of the people who have used the facilities at all times. This way, it highly increases the security of this area.
In addition, an additional layer of security is provided by individual door alarms because they immediately alert store unit operators if a certain unit is trying to be broken in by an unauthorized person. This is said to be the best choice in self-storage security since it directly attacks one of the most common kind of criminals regarding storage unit theft. These criminals are usually other tenders that take the chance of robbing other people’s unit when they are exiting theirs. All these suggestions are made in order for you to take into consideration when looking for the most secure storage units.
ABC Locksmith’s Top Lock Recommends for Securing Your Storage Unit:
1. Ingersoll 10
2. Abloy Protec2 PL 362
3. EVVA MCS
4. Medeco M3 Shrouded Padlock
5. American Lock A700D