Storage Security Checklist
Choosing self-storage in Lincoln: a security checklist for household goods
If you're storing household goods - furniture, electronics, family possessions, business stock - the storage facility you choose matters more than the price you pay. A unit that's £10 a month cheaper isn't a saving if your contents get damaged, accessed by the wrong person, or your insurer won't pay out because the site didn't meet their security threshold.
Most people compare self-storage on price and unit size. Almost no one compares on the things that actually determine whether your stuff is safe and accessible. Here's the checklist we'd use if we were the customer.
## 1. Is the CCTV monitored, or just recorded?
There's a meaningful difference between cameras that record footage for review after an incident, and cameras that are actively monitored so an incident is spotted as it happens. Recorded-only CCTV helps the police after the fact. Monitored CCTV helps prevent the break-in in the first place.
**Ask:** Is the CCTV monitored 24/7? By whom? What's the response protocol if something is flagged?
**At Stow & Go Lincoln:** Our CCTV is monitored 24/7. Cameras cover every container row, the gate, and the perimeter. Footage is retained and reviewable.
## 2. How does access control work?
A padlock on a container is the last line of defence, not the first. The first line is whether unauthorised people can get onto the site at all. Old-style sites with a manual gate, a chain, or no gate at all rely entirely on the lock on your unit. Modern sites use electronic access control so every entry and exit is logged against a specific user.
**Ask:** How is the gate controlled? Is every entry logged? What happens out of hours?
**At Stow & Go Lincoln:** Site access is controlled by a brand-new electronic gate. Entries are logged and each customer has a unique entry code. Only customers with active units can access the site.
## 3. What's the surface and drainage like?
This one gets overlooked and it shouldn't. A pot-holed, uneven, poorly drained site causes three problems for household goods. First, you can't safely move heavy items in and out - sofas, white goods, boxes of glassware all suffer when a sack barrow is being dragged across broken tarmac. Second, standing water near container doors is the single biggest cause of damp inside units. Third, a poorly maintained site is a signal of how the rest of the operation is run.
**Ask:** When was the site last surfaced? Is there any standing water near the containers after rain? Can a removals van get right up to your unit?
**At Stow & Go Lincoln:** The site is newly surfaced throughout. Vehicle access is level and direct to every container.
## 4. Lighting — does the site work after dark?
Most people access their unit on weekends or evenings. A site that's effectively unusable after sunset because there's no lighting is a security and safety problem, not just an inconvenience.
**Ask:** Is the site lit at night? Is the lighting on a timer or motion-activated? Can you access your unit at any reasonable hour?
**At Stow & Go Lincoln:** The site has newly-installed PIR floodlights across every terrace of containers - meaning your goods are always lit and secure.
## 5. The container itself - what condition is it actually in?
Not all containers are equal. Older, ex-shipping containers passed through several owners can have rust holes, dented doors that don't seal, and worn-out lock boxes. The lock box matters because it's what protects your padlock from being attacked with bolt croppers.
**Ask:** What condition are the containers in? Do they have a proper lock box around the padlock? Can I see one before I sign?
**At Stow & Go Lincoln:** Our containers are all sourced brand-new and have an Adaptainer XL vent which increases ventilation by x8 compared to regular shipping containers. This gives peace of mind that your goods are dry and damp-free at Stow & Go.
## 6. Insurance - yours and theirs
Most household contents policies will cover items in self-storage, but only if the site meets minimum security standards (typically monitored CCTV, controlled access, and approved locks). Some operators provide their own insurance product; some require you to bring your own.
**Ask:** Is my home insurance likely to cover items here? If not, what insurance do you offer and what does it actually cover?
**At Stow & Go Lincoln:** We offer market-leading quality insurance for a wide range of values for the storage of different goods.
## 7. Who's calling you after you enquire?
If you get a quote from one operator and then receive a cold call from a different operator offering to undercut them - that's a question worth asking about how that second operator obtained your number. Storage involves trust. The operator's behaviour during the sales process tells you something about how they'll behave once they have your possessions.
## The honest summary
The cheapest container on the worst site with the weakest security will always be cheaper than a properly run alternative. Whether that saving is worth it depends on what you're storing and how much you'd lose if it went wrong.
If you'd like to see how Stow & Go Lincoln stacks up against this checklist in person, you're welcome to visit the site before you book. We'll show you the gate, the CCTV, the surface, and an empty container.
01522 275220
hello@stowandgostorage.co.uk
Book Here
If you're storing household goods - furniture, electronics, family possessions, business stock - the storage facility you choose matters more than the price you pay. A unit that's £10 a month cheaper isn't a saving if your contents get damaged, accessed by the wrong person, or your insurer won't pay out because the site didn't meet their security threshold.
Most people compare self-storage on price and unit size. Almost no one compares on the things that actually determine whether your stuff is safe and accessible. Here's the checklist we'd use if we were the customer.
## 1. Is the CCTV monitored, or just recorded?
There's a meaningful difference between cameras that record footage for review after an incident, and cameras that are actively monitored so an incident is spotted as it happens. Recorded-only CCTV helps the police after the fact. Monitored CCTV helps prevent the break-in in the first place.
**Ask:** Is the CCTV monitored 24/7? By whom? What's the response protocol if something is flagged?
**At Stow & Go Lincoln:** Our CCTV is monitored 24/7. Cameras cover every container row, the gate, and the perimeter. Footage is retained and reviewable.
## 2. How does access control work?
A padlock on a container is the last line of defence, not the first. The first line is whether unauthorised people can get onto the site at all. Old-style sites with a manual gate, a chain, or no gate at all rely entirely on the lock on your unit. Modern sites use electronic access control so every entry and exit is logged against a specific user.
**Ask:** How is the gate controlled? Is every entry logged? What happens out of hours?
**At Stow & Go Lincoln:** Site access is controlled by a brand-new electronic gate. Entries are logged and each customer has a unique entry code. Only customers with active units can access the site.
## 3. What's the surface and drainage like?
This one gets overlooked and it shouldn't. A pot-holed, uneven, poorly drained site causes three problems for household goods. First, you can't safely move heavy items in and out - sofas, white goods, boxes of glassware all suffer when a sack barrow is being dragged across broken tarmac. Second, standing water near container doors is the single biggest cause of damp inside units. Third, a poorly maintained site is a signal of how the rest of the operation is run.
**Ask:** When was the site last surfaced? Is there any standing water near the containers after rain? Can a removals van get right up to your unit?
**At Stow & Go Lincoln:** The site is newly surfaced throughout. Vehicle access is level and direct to every container.
## 4. Lighting — does the site work after dark?
Most people access their unit on weekends or evenings. A site that's effectively unusable after sunset because there's no lighting is a security and safety problem, not just an inconvenience.
**Ask:** Is the site lit at night? Is the lighting on a timer or motion-activated? Can you access your unit at any reasonable hour?
**At Stow & Go Lincoln:** The site has newly-installed PIR floodlights across every terrace of containers - meaning your goods are always lit and secure.
## 5. The container itself - what condition is it actually in?
Not all containers are equal. Older, ex-shipping containers passed through several owners can have rust holes, dented doors that don't seal, and worn-out lock boxes. The lock box matters because it's what protects your padlock from being attacked with bolt croppers.
**Ask:** What condition are the containers in? Do they have a proper lock box around the padlock? Can I see one before I sign?
**At Stow & Go Lincoln:** Our containers are all sourced brand-new and have an Adaptainer XL vent which increases ventilation by x8 compared to regular shipping containers. This gives peace of mind that your goods are dry and damp-free at Stow & Go.
## 6. Insurance - yours and theirs
Most household contents policies will cover items in self-storage, but only if the site meets minimum security standards (typically monitored CCTV, controlled access, and approved locks). Some operators provide their own insurance product; some require you to bring your own.
**Ask:** Is my home insurance likely to cover items here? If not, what insurance do you offer and what does it actually cover?
**At Stow & Go Lincoln:** We offer market-leading quality insurance for a wide range of values for the storage of different goods.
## 7. Who's calling you after you enquire?
If you get a quote from one operator and then receive a cold call from a different operator offering to undercut them - that's a question worth asking about how that second operator obtained your number. Storage involves trust. The operator's behaviour during the sales process tells you something about how they'll behave once they have your possessions.
## The honest summary
The cheapest container on the worst site with the weakest security will always be cheaper than a properly run alternative. Whether that saving is worth it depends on what you're storing and how much you'd lose if it went wrong.
If you'd like to see how Stow & Go Lincoln stacks up against this checklist in person, you're welcome to visit the site before you book. We'll show you the gate, the CCTV, the surface, and an empty container.
01522 275220
hello@stowandgostorage.co.uk
Book Here