Is Self Storage Secure?

We get it. When you think about self storage you may also be wondering about just how secure it’s going to be? Can you really be confident leaving your things somewhere else? 

For many people, it’s not even a case of financial risk, it is often a case that the items may in fact have sentimental value, or perhaps you just don’t want the 'agro' of having to replace them if something goes wrong. 

Well you can rest assured. Self storage operators are acutely aware of, and share your concerns, and go to great lengths to make sure your things are protected. After all it doesn’t bode well for their business if your things go astray or get damaged. 

Here are some examples of the security measures storage operators enforce. Of course the extent to which these are provided will depend on the location of the site and the quality of the storage offering.

Naturally you may end up paying a little more for the sites that have gone the extra mile to enforce security, so again it comes down to how you balance the value for money in this respect. 

Yes an obvious one, but it’s worth noting locks are central to the self storage security arsenal. Many, particularly unmanned sites, have a double measure with some sort of lock, keypad, fob or smartphone entry at the gateway to the facility/site, and of course your own lock to your personal unit. Again, this personal lock could be a traditional mechanical lock or digital perhaps with a smartphone or key code.

Most self storage sites will feature some sort of security fencing, particularly if the units are externally accessed.  

This is now a given in almost every self storage site. CCTV is so easy to install that it would be foolish not to have it. Not all CCTV is created equal, some storage operators have gone the extra mile to provide solar powered back ups in case the power supply is tampered with for example. 

As well as CCTV some storage operators invest in additional monitoring. This means the eyes of a human being remotely on the site should any unusual activity trigger an alert. In this case they will be on the speakers alerting an intruder to their presence, as well as notifying local security or police who can intervene promptly if necessary.

Almost every storage site is now equipped with some form of security lighting. This naturally acts as a deterrent and is one of those measures that has been around for years.

When we consider alarms it is worth bearing in mind that there are alarms for intruders and alarms and possible sprinklers for fires. Particularly for indoor self storage facilities, alarms are an essential part of their security provision.

For bigger and busier sites, it is often the case that management will be on site - and you can’t beat good old human presence to act as a deterrent and a good detective should any unusual activity arise. Much of the time they won’t be on site out of normal office hours, but there is usually someone on call nearby in the event of an emergency. 

At some larger self storage facilities the use of patrol dogs (and their handlers) is a good deterrent to any opportunists. The keenness of a trained canine is a great addition to security measures particularly on the more spread out external sites.

Just like with your own home even with the best endeavours, on occasion the bad guys might just win, (if you can call it that!), but again the self storage industry takes measures to protect you with many operators offering insurance or even including it in their price. Check out the Explorage.com Advice Centre for more information.

On Explorage.com you can see what main security measures each of our listed storage operators have taken, and in many cases the operators themselves have elaborated on these. 

If you’re not sure or have any questions, our experienced and friendly team are on hand 24/7 to answer any questions you have and give you the support you need, call today on: 0800 0988864 or email: support@explorage.com