Tips for helping to prevent storage locker breakins

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REMEMBER THAT SECURITY GATES AND PADLOCKS DON'T NECESSARILY STOP BURGLARIES FROM HAPPENING
Studies show that most self-storage burglaries are the result of an "inside job" by criminals masquerading as customers. Traditionally, burglars rent a storage unit just like you're about to do, then wait for an opportune time to go to work.

Once inside, they will usually cut a number or padlocks with bolt cutters, take what they want from unsuspecting customers under the nose of an unsuspecting manager, then replace the locks they cut with their own so they can access the burglarized units again at a later date, if needed, and the burglar is able to enter the property through the security gate with his confidential gate code, just like any other customer can do.

So what can you do to avoid a nightmare like this? FIrst, ask each storage facility you talk to if they allow their customers to use padlocks or if they are using the newer generation "cylinder locks" which have no exposed hasp to be cut by bolt cutters.

Also, check to see if the facility you are talking to has installed alarms on each and every door in their facility so they can know the exact time of day that every storage unit is accessed. To de-activate the alarm on a unit, the customer keys in their personal passcode. If an unauthorized entry occurs, the alarm will sound, immediately identifying which unit has been entered.

Most facilities these days have at least a few video cameras on the site. Make sure that the facility you rent from has more than just a few, and that their cameras are covering as much of the property as possible. Finally, make sure that they are digitally recording the video 24 hours a day.

Asking questions regarding these matters will tell you a lot about each facility's commitment to your peace of mind. If your questions are not answered sufficiently, you may be better off looking elsewhere.