Hello Everyone........
When/if you guy's have ever had the question raised by a potential customer calling regarding if/how much crime you have or have had on your property....how do you answer?
I just had a pot. cust. call and was a bit taken aback by the question....I had the question once before and answered honestly......that there were a couple of break-in's but the criminals were apprehended.........
This time I didn't tell the caller that, but I did say that since this is one of the largest cities in the U.S. and that the property is in a busy area that we don't guarantee 100% chance that nothing will ever happen, but that we do our best to ensure the best safety that we can/on-site mgmt. as well....I was just thinking of any potential future problems if they became a tenant....the other time when I was 100% honest it didn't go over very well........this time I just didn't include what I said the last time....I don't know which way is the right way...I mean people should realize that this is a major city/they're calling a property in a high-crime area/99% of everyone here know's that, I just hate being asked about it.....

We do our best to ensure the best safety that we can/on-site mgmt.(What you said in your post) Then go on to describe what your facility has..gates, camera's, alarms..etc..etc. Then tell them the best protection is for them to have insurance.

I guess I did OK thing. I'll just have to start thinking like a Politician when/if asked that question again! Just dodge answering it full-on and just 1/2 answer it..........lol..........

LOL! I always knock on my head and say, "knock on wood we haven't had any issues"

My shtick is simply, "We've never had a break-in, (as I knock on wood and pound my head at the same time) but that doesn't mean something won't happen tonight or next week. All I ask is that you help protect your items and my home by keeping your eyes & ears open. If ANYTHING doesn't feel right, please call the office line. I can't sleep if there's a message flashing so let me know if anyone gives you the creeps and we'll keep closer tabs on them. After all with us, you and 670+ other tenants, that's a lot of people watching, and a great security team."

So far (pound-pound, ouch!) it's worked!

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Gina 6k
CochraneStorage dot com
Morgan Hill, California
You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough!

Ditto what Gina said!!! People are impressed when I say we have 800 eyes besides us watching our property!!! Of course, our local police DOES patrol here every night. They have their own code and the city dispatcher is a tenant.

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MusicCity Gal

Our only claim is that we have been here for 4 years and we have never had an incident.

It also helps to point out the cameras, gate, fence, and me with my bad attitude and attention to details about security.

I even dared one tenant (in a joking way) to try and breach security and see what happens -- he took one look at me and polity declined.

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Wayne
All American Self Storage
Palmdale, CA.


All arguments can be resolved ... with high explosives and Humor!!!

What we always say is " We have never had a theft, break-in, or vandalism in any facility we have ever worked in the 14 years we have been doing this"
" That doesn't mean it can't happen or wont happen" , "But that is because we do things different at our facility"
" We do criminal background checks on every tenant, but for your peace of mind if you don't have homeowners or renters insurance we do offer insurance for your storage needs, and you can pay that right along with your monthly rental fee, and we hand them a brochure ...
"We even have door bells installed on the outside of the office and even if the office is closed and you have a problem with the gate or see something that needs our immediate attention , we live here on the property and we will come right out and help you...We also ahve phone numbers posted by the key pad and by our office door and if you cant get us you can call our corp office any time , and they can help you too.
And you can believe if it is a criminal they come up with the excuse I left my wallet at home , or I have to go to the bank, and they never come back ..
So we weed out the criminals before they get a foot hold in our facility, and if they ask about our security , then they are either truly concerned or checking us out for later ,, so we show them the unit we are going to put them in and say , since you are so concerned about security then we are going to put you in one of our most secure units , right here under this camera, and right here where we can see your unit at night.. They never say I don't want the most secure unit , in fact if they do have any intentions they also come up with an excuse not to rent ..
We also tell tell them about our frequent lock checks and what the seals on the locks are for...etc ...
Also that when they come into the facility we may drive by in our cart once and maybe 2 times to make sure everything is Ok ... this also weeds out any potential criminals. Just my 2 cents on the subject ..

Thanks for all of your replies guys!

No backgroung checks here. Only one "breakin". And I think it was a inside job. Either him or him. He didn't seem upset at all. There was over 400 boxes of ceramic tiles taken. Now that's a lot. I'm surprised we didn't see something like that. He called the police and got his insurence money. We still felt bad, even if he lied. That was 2 days before the coded gate was going to be installed.

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Bill & Dawn
Shelby Road Self Storage