Is a Self Storage Facility Safe?

Published on 10/21/2024 Self storage companies seem like a safe place to store your belongings, but it's not always the case. While most do have some safety features, thieves tend to target them quite often, and storage companies have responded with site specific solutions.

That's why it's important to understand the risks involved with using a self storage company. Keep reading to learn about the most common safety issues and what you can do to make your unit as secure as possible.

Environmental

Storage facilities are known to be a big environmental risk because they use a lot of energy and resources. They also take up a large amount of space, which can lead to a huge carbon footprint.

Many people are unaware of how much environmental impact a self-storage facility has. These buildings use a massive amount of lighting, heating, and cooling to maintain the proper temperature in each unit.

Similarly to real estate water efficiency strategies, it is important to keep a close eye on lowering irrigation needs for self-storage building exteriors. Moreover, stormwater runoff control measures can help prevent pooling rainwater on the site that could become stagnant and damage property.

Self-storage buildings can take a more nuts-and-bolts approach to sustainability than some of the occupant heavy building industries. However, there are still a number of ways to implement sustainable tactics in a self-storage building’s construction and interior fit-out stages as well as its ongoing operations.

Mold

Mold is one of the most dangerous threats to your belongings. It can wreak havoc on furniture, clothing, and other items that you store in a self storage unit.

Even in climate-controlled storage facilities, mold can form if the humidity is too high. Rust, mildew, and other harmful mold spores can grow and damage your items.

You can minimize your risk of mold by taking a few simple steps before putting your items in the storage unit.

Using a moisture-absorbing substance like desiccant or making your own silica gel pouches can be a great way to keep moisture away from your items. You can also wrap your belongings in plastic or blankets to help absorb any extra moisture they might receive.

Fire

It's not a great thing to think about, but fire is something that can happen in storage facilities. Whether it's a rodent taking a liking to your stuff or a fire, it's important to know how to keep yourself and your belongings safe from these threats.

Fortunately, fires can be controlled with systems such as sprinklers which are designed to contain and extinguish them. This helps prevent life, business and the economy from being put at risk.

The UK's self storage industry has suffered from a number of serious fires over the years, some of which have caused significant damage to client's personal belongings. These incidents have led to a number of questions about how best to protect both clients and storage facility owners alike.

Crime

In recent years, a significant number of people have begun using self storage units to store their belongings. They aren’t just used by individuals going through a life change, but also by business owners who need to move to a smaller office or work remotely.

One of the risks associated with storing items in a storage unit is that criminals may target the facility. The most common form of burglary is cutting the locks on individual units and stealing the contents.

This is why it is important to find a self storage facility that offers good security measures. Those should include secure fencing, code access gates, disc locks and individual unit door alarms.

Theft

Theft is a common problem for storage owners and operators. Using a combination of cameras, gates, fencing, keypads and security personnel, storage owners have traditionally protected their facilities against theft.

However, today’s criminals are taking a more sophisticated approach to thievery. They’re attempting to bypass traditional self storage security measures and steal from storage tenants by using bolt cutters to cut padlocks and other locks.

Thankfully, modern self storage security products have been designed to make this process more difficult and costly for thieves. For example, disk lock systems have smaller bars than standard padlocks, making them harder to cut with a bolt cutter.

Other security tools include alarms that are triggered by motion or other sensors, which help deter criminals from breaking into the property. These tools can also generate data that can be used to identify suspects if a crime is reported.