When you own a storage facility, it’s crucial that you take the security aspect of your business extremely seriously. This is what your customers want most of all, and if they can see that their possessions will be entirely safe and secure when they use your units, they will be much happier to rent from you, and ideally for the long term.
So what can you do to ensure that this is the case? It’s more than just having strong doors and good locks, and it’s well worth investing any money or time commitment you might need to put in to make it happen. Once your storage facility has the best and most up-to-date security measures in place, your reputation will improve, and your customer base will grow. With that in mind, here are some ideas on how to improve the security of your storage unit.
Invest In Good Fencing And Gates
The first thing you’ll need to do when it comes to ensuring your storage facility is safe – and that customers and potential customers can see that this is the case – is to invest in good fencing and gates. Not only will a strong, high fence mean that would-be thieves find it much harder to get inside the facility and out again, especially if they are carrying stolen items. They will probably decide against even trying to break in altogether once they see the fences you have put in place. No thief is going to waste their time trying to get over a secure fence or through a robust gate because the more time they spend doing this, the more chance there is of them getting caught.
When you choose the type of fencing that will work best for your facility, think about what you need to keep safe, your budget, and how much you are going to need. Ideally, it would be best to buy heavy-duty fencing that looks good and will prevent any issues. When potential customers see this, they will have a much more positive view of leaving their belongings in one of your storage units.
Invest In Good Lighting And Motion Sensors
Robust fencing is a great deterrent and also a good sign for potential customers that you are taking your security measures seriously in your storage facility. However, although this is a good start, more will need to be done, and good lighting and motion sensors are the next things to consider. Again, these will bring peace of mind to anyone who wants to use your facility to store their items, ensuring that no matter what time of the day or night it is, there will be measures in place to prevent theft and damage.
When your storage facility is well lit, anyone who might have wanted to attempt a break-in will be put off the idea. They don’t want to go to any place where they can be seen, and good lighting means they will certainly be seen. Add to this motion sensors, which mean lighting turns on when movement is detected, and suddenly your storage facility looks like a much less interesting prospect to any thief.
Lighting has the added benefit of making your customers feel safe no matter what time of the day or night they need to access their unit.
Security Cameras
Security cameras are another hugely important aspect that you will want – and need – to consider when you run a storage facility. When you have video surveillance as part of your security setup, this will alleviate any fears that potential customers might have. They know that any time anyone is on-site, whoever is monitoring the cameras will know about it – we will talk more about the monitoring aspect of this kind of security later in this article. No matter what type of facility you have or what your budget might be, there will be a security camera that suits you. Some examples include:
- Bullet Cameras
These cameras capture all the required information, as you would expect, but they are also very visible cameras, and therefore, they work as an excellent deterrent. The downside to using this kind of camera is that they don’t move, and consequently, they will only pick up a view of whatever it is they were installed to look at. In order to cover every aspect of what you need, you will need to place a potentially high number of these cameras around your facility.
- Dome Cameras
Dome cameras are less visible as they are very small, so these may not be the best option if you want a deterrent. However, in terms of what they can pick up, they can see a lot more than a bullet camera would. The great thing about dome cameras is that they come with night vision, motion detection, and heat sensors, meaning that they can inform you of when someone is on-site no matter what time of the day or night it might be.
- Wireless IP Cameras
In most cases, wireless IP cameras are the best type to choose for a storage facility. This is because they use the wireless network to constantly stream video, so you’ll never miss anything, plus you can monitor the feed remotely if need be. Whenever the motion detector is set off, an alert will sound, allowing your security team to investigate if need be. One negative is that these cameras are often very sensitive because they have to be, of course. This can mean a lot of false alarms, particularly if your facility is in an area with a lot of wildlife that could get caught on camera.
Individual Unit Alarms
Although you will have an alarm on the outside of the building that covers the entire exterior of the facility, it’s also important to have alarms on every unit inside as well. If someone were to be able to break in, they would find it very hard to get to any particular unit when everything is alarmed in this way. Remember, someone else’s belongings might tempt even those who are legitimately allowed to enter the facility if they saw an opportunity – it’s wise for everyone to be individually protected.
If this seems like a cost too far – at least initially – then another option could be electronic keypads with pin codes. The unit renter would have their own code, unique to them, to keep their unit much more secure.
Security Personnel
Finally, it’s wise to have security personnel on-site if possible. Although this will be a significant extra cost, security patrolling the perimeter and ensuring that someone is always there to help those who might need assistance, and to monitor the videos, means that there is far less likely to be any problematic behavior.
There you have it; five ways to improve the security of your storage units as a storage unit facility owner.