There are a lot of important things to think of when you’re considering which tenant storage you want to install in your apartment complex. You want to make sure that the units are safe and secure enough to inspire faith in your tenants so they’ll actually rent out the storage, but you also want to make sure that the units are designed with a few other things in mind as well. For example, it’s good to be sure that the units are designed to maximize ventilation, lighting, and fire control.
This might sound like a tall order, but there are actually companies out there that design their storage units to optimize all of these factors. That means that no matter what your tenants are storing in their storage lockers, they can be sure that they’ll be safe enough from the elements while also not getting quite as dusty as they might have. Your tenants are trusting you to keep their things safe when they rent out your storage lockers, which means that it’s a good idea to make sure that you’re doing everything in your power to make sure that their trust is well placed. Today we’re going to be looking at a few options you can use to maximize these factors.
Use Storage Lockers With Wire Mesh Ceiling
It might sound a little counter-intuitive to use tenant lockers with a mesh ceiling to protect your tenant’s belongings from the elements. This option can only really work if you’re building the storage area indoors. If the area you’d like to build the storage area in is outdoors it might be worth looking into erecting a small building to host the lockers if you decide that mesh ceilings are your best bet.
These ceilings can provide all sorts of benefits pretty easily because of the fact that the ceiling is open to the air. Most lockers that come with this option use incredibly tough mesh that’s impossible to cut with a bolt cutter. In fact, in the majority of cases, the mesh creates openings that are less than two square inches. That’s definitely not enough room for anyone to do much with, especially considering you can typically expect for these lockers to be taller than the average person. That means that the mesh ceilings are, in fact, very secure against the vast majority of potential thieves.
There are many other benefits of the mesh ceilings. For example, if you’re setting up the storage lockers within a parking structure you won’t need to install many more lights or ventilation infrastructure. That’s because the units will be able to benefit from what’s already used in the parking structure. Some people might install a couple of lights directly above the storage units to make sure that their tenants can see inside, but some properties won’t find that necessary. Most parking buildings are already pretty well lit, so you’d really only need to install lighting if the inside of the units are dark.
The same can be said about ventilation. Odds are, your parking building has at least ok ventilation. It’s hard to say much about the building you use for parking because these garages can take a lot of different shapes, but many parking buildings are open air. That means that as long as you make sure that your lockers aren’t somewhere that rain can easily get into them, all you need to do is set them up and leave them be. The mesh ceilings allow for plenty of air to enter the units, making it so the dust takes longer to settle inside.
The Solution for Free-Standing Storage Lockers
Now, if you don’t have a parking building or garage that you can use for this and you don’t want to erect a whole new building just to facilitate your new storage units, you probably want some other ways that you can go about this. Unfortunately, indoor storage lockers are the easiest and most elegant solution so this might be a little tricky, but there are plenty of other options for you to ensure that you’re getting the best possible storage for your tenants.
The first method is to get something that operates kind of like a porta-potty. By that, we mean ventilation holes near the top with an overhang to prevent rain from entering .into the locker. Now, this won’t be quite as effective as having a whole building for your storage lockers depending on where you live. Places like California don’t get a lot of crazy rain so you’d probably be fine there, but if you’re in New England there’s a good chance that the rain will find a way in anyway. Use caution when deciding if this is what you want to do.
Some people have gazebo-like structures built on their properties to facilitate their storage lockers. That allows them the same protection from the elements that a parking garage would without having to build an entire building. Of course, as we mentioned, some places just have a lot of really wild rain which could make using a gazebo entirely useless. That being said, in most places, this solution could work out well. It really depends on your climate and the kind of rain that you expect to get there. If you’re familiar with the area where your complex is it can be pretty easy to determine how much rain to expect.
Some people forgo having any sort of ventilation for their free-standing storage lockers, which isn’t usually a good idea. The least of your worries is dust settling quickly, but in some places, a lack of ventilation can cause mold to grow. On top of that, if your tenant is storing something that could potentially create toxic fumes not having ventilation in the unit can cause a build-up of those gases and that could create a potentially very dangerous situation when they go into their unit to check on their belongings.
Most things that can produce toxic fumes are pretty innocent and completely legal, so it’s good to think a lot about how you can make sure that someone storing something like that will remain safe. All it takes is some model glue with a hole in it or an accidental spill of a couple of cleaning chemicals to create an invisible cloud of deadly gasses. It’s even possible for flammable gasses to be created by mistake in a storage locker if your tenant makes a mistake in their storage procedures. Keeping the units well ventilated is just generally a smart move.
Is a Free-Standing Storage Unit or an Indoor Storage Unit Better?
If you’re looking for the best option here there’s a clear answer. Indoor storage units are just easier. You don’t have to worry too much about unpredictable weather and if you’re adding them into an already established building such as a garage you probably won’t even need to make any extra infrastructure to make the storage lockers useable at all hours. The lights in the building are usually enough to make sure that people can see, and because the lockers are inside you don’t really need to take any extra steps to ensure ventilation.
That being said, free-standing storage units can be a good choice depending on where you live. If your apartment complex is up in Seattle, Washington, for example, it might not be a great idea for the units to be free-standing because of all of the rain. If your apartment complex is somewhere like Albuquerque, New Mexico that gets a lot less rain it could work out a lot better. The climate of the area where your apartment complex is will have a heavy impact on which option you should go with for this.
Generally, even in dryer states, we’d recommend having your storage units inside if at all possible simply because it’s easier to keep well lit and ventilated, and having the storage lockers indoors just means that it will be that much more difficult for thieves to gain access to. These two factors combined make indoor storage units a better option, but it is understandable that the logistics of building a new building on your property are difficult. You have to hire someone to build it, get all the right permits, and wait until construction is finished. That can be a long and expensive process, so if a free-standing storage unit is your only option it might make more sense.
Increasing the Profitability of Your Apartment Complex
Everyone that invests in something like a multi-family home always wants to make sure that they’re doing everything that they can to increase their return on investment. People commonly do renovations and add new amenities so they can either increase the rent or offer their tenants new services for a nominal fee. No matter your tactic for increasing the revenue for your property, it’s always good to make sure you do your research so you can make sure you’re at least at a similar standing as your competitiors in town.
