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These days many people find themselves with a need for somewhere to store their stuff. They may decide to declutter their place without wanting to throw everything away, need a safe place to store some of their belongings or even hold extra stock for their business that needs to be on hand. Self-storage is an excellent way to do that, selling you on a safe and secure place to keep your possessions while also offering accessibility.
But how secure is self-storage really? Here we will have a look at the security you can generally expect to find when you rent a unit, how often people break into them and a few tips to make sure your possessions are as safe as you can make them.
How secure is self-storage?
Self-storage, short for self-service storage, is one of the best ways to store your belongings allowing you the greatest access and flexibility. This does not however mean that it should be any less secure than the other storage options out there. A good storage company like Keep-It Self Storage has 24-hour video cameras as well as guards, fences, and other measures to ensure that your possessions are as safe as they can be. Make sure when you are selecting your unit that there are plenty of cameras as these serve as a fantastic deterrent for would-be burglars as well as helping to catch any assailants.
When you add in your own padlock or keypad lock there are many layers of protection to keep your belongings safe. This is far superior to keeping your stuff in a shed or other outdoor spot and preferable to just dealing with no space or imposing on a family member or friend. Self-storage should be about as secure as container storage and with the added benefit of being able to retrieve items from or place more in your unit with relative ease. 
Do storage units get broken into often?
Some storage units can become a target for thieves. They are after all known to contain lots of possessions in one place and can often hold valuable things making them an attractive proposition. This is particularly true of outdoor facilities, and those with little to no visible security like cameras and gates. When looking at different companies and places available any without protections in place should be immediately disregarded as a place to put your stuff.
However, any storage facility with good security would present less of a goal. It would be unwise to attempt to break in somewhere with visible cameras, guards, fences, and locks when a normal house or shop would present an easier job. In these kinds of places, theft is far less likely than one without good security, though they can cost a little more. Still, there is no point in paying to store your goods somewhere that you don’t trust to keep them entirely safe, so it is worth the time and money to go with the best.
How do I protect my belongings in storage?
While your storage facility will do the lion’s share of the work when it comes to safeguarding your possessions there are still ways you can help to keep them that way, and ways that you can put them more at risk. As we have already mentioned, make sure that you choose a facility with cameras and fences at the very least, and ideally with added layers like guards, silent alarms, and other preventative measures.
It is essential that in order to keep your stuff safe you keep up with your payments on your unit, as there are usually penalties in place including selling your storage locker if it goes unpaid and unclaimed, not exactly the best protection. 
After that, it is up to you to select the right kind of lock to put on your unit (if that is the procedure at your storage place), and don’t just go for a cheap option. There is no point in paying money to keep your belongings somewhere else only to lock the door with a cheap padlock that can be easily circumvented. The majority of thefts occur at these facilities with a burglar using bolt cutters to simply snip off the locks, but a good cylinder lock cannot be cut through like this and is, therefore, a great way to keep your stuff safe.
While theft is one threat to your belongings you should also consider the danger of damage and other things that may threaten your possessions. Make sure to use good quality boxes or packaging when stacking your stuff, placing the heaviest at the bottom, and using plastic boxes for anything that may be damaged by damp. You should wrap up anything that could be scraped or bumped and check in on your unit every few months to make sure everything is alright. You should as discussed go with a good and trustworthy facility, but it is still a sensible idea to make a list of everything you keep in your unit so you can check it is all still there.
Another good method for ensuring nothing has been taken or tampered with is security tape, which is affordable and useful as an extra layer of protection. All in all the best way to keep your possessions safe is to research and check that you have gone with a quality storage facility that has plenty of security to keep watch over your stuff.
While these places can and do present a target for thieves it is more likely to be outside units with little to no security that will tempt people and not those with cameras, gates, and guards to keep them out. There are also several ways you can help keep your belongings safe and in good condition, so have a look, invest in a good cylinder lock or similar and you can relax knowing your stuff is in good hands.
