With over 2.3 billion square feet of space under roof at self-storage facilities across America, finding a storage facility near you is typically an easy task. What might be more difficult, however, is ensuring the stuff you choose to store in your storage unit remains safe for the duration of its time stored. With a few simple steps, though, you can rest easy at night knowing your stuff will stay safe and sound.
Lock It Up
Even if the exterior of your storage facility is heavily fortified, there are, at any given time, hundreds of individuals who have rightful and easy access to that same facility. Now, most of those people are honest individuals who abide by the Golden Rule, and don’t want to see anything happen to your storage unit any more than they want to see something happen to theirs. That said, it only takes one bad apple to ruin the whole bunch, and that’s why securely locking your unit is the only way to go.
Choose a lock with a shackle that can’t easily be accessed to be cut, and is easily tamper evident so you can see if someone’s trying to gain access to your stuff. Additionally, many storage unit doors provide accommodations for more than one lock. If that’s true of your particular unit, take advantage of that opportunity. The longer you can keep someone out of your unit, the more likely they are to be caught in the act before they successfully break in.
Eyes in the Sky
Whether you are looking to store at a facility that is indoors or out, you should insist on finding a facility that is equipped with 24/7 surveillance capabilities. It doesn’t necessarily have to be monitored by someone, so long as each camera is being recorded to an off-site storage system to allow for review at a later time.
This is important since even the hardiest of locks can be bypassed, and if that unfortunate event happens, you want to give yourself the best chance of recovering your stuff, and that means knowing who took it. Not only that, but with the thief apprehended, you can rest easier knowing your stuff is likely safer as a result.
Know What You Stow
The other crucial component of being able to recover your stuff at a storage unit like Klose’s Removals Pty Ltd is knowing what was stolen in the first place. Even if the thief is tracked down and their stash is located, you need to be able to identify your belongings to stake a hard claim to them. So, before you ever arrive at your storage facility, take an in-depth inventory of each and every item you plan to store.
This means taking down item numbers, serial numbers, complete descriptions, as well as any identifying marks such as specific dents, dings, or scratches that would be unique to your particular item. Keep this list in a secure location, either saved and backed up digitally, or as a hard copy in a locked fireproof safe. This way, if the unthinkable happens, you’ll be able to quickly start the process of recovering what is rightfully yours.
Rest Easy
Ultimately, despite necessary precautions that might suggest otherwise, most storage facilities are actually quite secure. While you certainly need to take common sense steps to secure your belongings, it’s good to also be able to trust in the security measures your storage facility already has in place. After all, if people’s belongings were disappearing all the time, the facility would quickly go out of business, so it’s in their best interest to do everything they can to keep your stuff safe. Combined with your efforts, you can be sure that the stuff you store will stay put for the long haul.
