How To Prevent Self-Storage Theft

20 July 2017
 Categories: , Blog

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Self-storage units are an affordable and effective method for homeowners to free up some living space by putting away seasonal and large items until they are needed again. However, moving your stuff out of your home and into a secondary location comes with the risk of theft occurring. In order to safeguard the items that you do decide to put into a storage facility, you should do a few things to reduce the risk of your items being stolen.

Choosing the Right Facility

The first things that you should consider when choosing a storage facility are the security features that come with it. The most secure storage facilities will have indoor storage, will be surrounded by heavy duty fencing, and will have 24-hour surveillance as well as someone on site at all times. Some storage facilities will have alarms for each individual unit, and may even have a series of access doors that can only be opened by code or card between the exterior of the facility and the interior of your unit. Choose the facility that has the greatest variety of security features, as the greater the number of safeguards, the smaller the chance of theft occurring is.

Choosing the Right Lock

Furthermore, you should look for a storage facility that gives you the ability to choose your own lock for your storage unit. This allows you to customize the degree of security that you put onto your unit's door, and to choose the lock that makes theft the least likely. When choosing a lock for your unit, choose one that has a small shackle (the loop that secures the lock to the door), as this makes it much harder for your lock to be cut off. Thicker metal locks are also beneficial, as the thicker the metal is, the harder it will be to physically break through it.

Proper Storage Techniques

Finally, even after you have secured the entranceway of your unit against theft, you can do a number of things to make theft less likely. When moving items into your storage unit, you should make an effort to put the more valuable items all the way at the back of the unit. Small valuables should be kept in a safe that is covered by blankets or other objects, and large, heavy items of little value (like desks, mattresses, and other bulky pieces of furniture) should be kept at the front of the unit. This means that if someone does manage to get into your locker, they will likely pass it over for another easier, more profitable unit. Contact a company like Mar-Rube Trailer Rental for more information.