STOP! THIEF!

brownrooster

It has been since last July since I had to make THAT call or see THAT look in my tenant's eyes.  Honestly, I hate it.  It is not the surly customers, the pulling weeds in the rain, sweeping in sweltering heat, or even watching 8 units succumb to this months 80+ mile an hour winds. It is the thieves and what they do to peoples lives and memories and at times makes me want to quit.

It happened this weekend.  2nd event of this young year.  Both times to tenants I have gotten to know and cared about. This sucks.  

So enough therapy.  Here's the situation.  We have our buildings as our primary perimeter, generally a minimum of 12 ft high.  There are gaps (1 per side) in between our buildings. In each gap there is a chainlink fence overlayed and over-bolted with sheet metal siding.  There is no evidence, this time, that anyone came over the fences, though it is possible. Our Front is an automatic gate with a key code entry and weight-plate exit. The weakest link in all of this is a 2 1/2 foot high gap under one section of the gate where the rain channel runs underneath it to carry water to the roadway.  

Our gate locks at 10pm.  No one gets in.  You have to approximate the weight of a car to activate the gate to get out.

I have seen video of a few bags being tossed over a fence thanks to a neighbors camera.  But much of the stuff was big, bulky, and cumbersome.  things like an over-sized chair, a crate full of antique firearms, a rolling tool cart full of tools, etc.

Does anyone have any thoughts on how this stuff left my lot, without the gate camera seeing anything?  (No unusual gate code activity, either). Have y'all ever experience anything like this.  I know from past experience that may lot cameras (the ones that ironically have not been stolen) will be worthless at any sort of positive ID of people or vehicles. And are Officers basically useless to you in these situations? Here, at best, they are apathetic generally condescending, and in the event early this year, they actually told my tenant that it was his opinion that I had something to do with it. and that if it were him, he would leave this place as fast as possible and never look back.

So Again my questions:

1) how do you think the perps are getting in, and more importantly OUT of my facility with a raft of large items.
2) have you ever been able to successfully curtail criminal activity at your facility.
3) do you have any suggestions for this newb?  (Dont say more or better cameras, I have sung that song to death.  Its a non-started with those at corporate.
4) Is this just a part of it and I better get used to it?
5) From a customer stand point.  We have a protection plan that acts similar to insurance.  But we make the tenant provide receipts on anything we replace.  Is that standard?  How to you handle family heirlooms or things that have been owned for more than 5-10 year and the receipt has been lost?
6) Any suggestions that have worked in your facility are appreciated. I jsut need help keeping my tenants stuff, their stuff!

Orkocean

Just a quick thought on how large items are going missing yet not seen being taken out. Could the thieves themselves have a unit on property they are moving stuff to?

Christa_Gray

I agree with Orkocean. It sounds like you have a thief renting one of your units. We had something similar here, we couldn't prove it (as our lot only has cameras pointed at the gates), but after a couple of "shady" tenants vacated the property, bad things stopped happening. We still were not able to narrow it down to who exactly did it, but we had two vacate around the same time and low and behold, units and vehicles stopped being broken into. 

Your tenants will usually know where cameras are, how your site works, etc. So I'd be mindful of new/newer tenants if this just started happening, and if it's been going on for a bit watch any tenants that were in and out that day that seemed to be there "longer" then usual. I would flag them anyways and just keep an eye on their actives. 

AnitaJohnson1269

I'm guessing it is hard to track how long a tenant is on site, as you stated it is a weighted "free" exit.  We have a keypad entry AND exit...  we know who comes and how long they stayed, unless they follow someone out, which is not often.  

brownrooster

Anita, that is correct. Though our "simple" gate camera should be able to track when they leave.  I know most of my tenants by car.  We had no late entries on the night when the break in happened. So if it was a tenant they would have had to be here about 12 hours.

brownrooster

@Orkocean, that is my leading thought.  Or that they are gaining entrance over or under our fence moving the stuff to a vacant unit then coming in during the day and moving stuff out without arousing suspicion.  To that end, I purchased about 5 dozen locks and began securing vacant units, as far as the locks went.  I did not secure my "broken" units because I assumed if I could get the door open without excessive efforts the perps couldn't either so those units were self-locking of sorts.

while we are on the subject, I have approx 50 tenants with substandard locks on their units.  These are people who assured me at move in that they had disc locks.  Do you have this issue?  How do you handle it without chasing away active tenants?

brownrooster

Thank you @Christa_Gray keep the ideas coming.  I am trying to learn. 

skinman

Good idea not leaving vacant uits open... we secure every unit to include vacants with a disc lock. Color coded. We actually charge an administrative fee and "give" new customers a disc lock as well... something to consider. Do you require insurance? We do , but they can use their own Homeowners or renters rather than purchase ours if their policy covers stored goods, but units must have coverage.. 

definitely not a fan of a weighted exit only.. Code in and out is the best.

Matt_Rogers

We also had a situation where a thief preyed upon an adjoining unit. This seems to be the most likely outcome in your case. We were lucky and caught the guy in the act and the asst. manager quickly notified the Police and was apprehended. The renter had Storesmart Insurance provided by the facility and was covered for her loss.

JamesStorage

I would address the issue with the police officer as well. If he's not taking his job seriously and badmouthing your company, that's something that definitely needs to be addressed with the precinct.

Usually when someone is getting in "undetected" they either figure out someone else's gate code, or just follow them. Look for multiple instances of the same vehicle, or for vehicles that code in JUST before close.

We don't require receipts. We ask for the used cash value, Since Customer's generally do not store brand new items. And regardless, you (the company) pay for value, not sentimental value.

Our gate is also code in/out only, no weighted exit. It also locks completely after 10pm, so no one can code out afterwards

i43storage

Yes, like @Orkocean, my first thought is that someone has rented a unit and simply using their vehicle to move things out.  Maybe they are keeping their car in their unit overnight - getting the goods in the dark of night- and then driving out the next day?  Just a thought.

I'm curious to know how they are entering the units to steal things in the first place?  Are they using a bolt-cutter?  grinder?  picking the lock?  Seems like that would be on video. 

As far as insurance, our lease states that renters must provide their own insurance as our insurance will not cover their personal property.  However, we have on occasion, given a free month's rent for various problems. 

Also - having the police suggest that your place is not a legitimately run business is unbelievable.  I always want to stay friends with the men in blue; however, I'd be tempted to contact the officer or his superior and say what's up?

CVSSSTORAGE

we had some people remove bolts from the backs of units and peel back the siding, they cut small holes in like 10 units and came and go as they pleased for a weekend. No one noticed because they were big commercial units and they would block it with a piece of wood or something in the units. They went through everyones stuff just tossing it aside like it was nothing one night. We do our lock checks every morning and did not see anything because they were going in and out the back of one unit =(

MrFugate

brownrooster said:

 Or that they are gaining entrance over or under our fence moving the stuff to a vacant unit then coming in during the day and moving stuff out without arousing suspicion.  To that end, I purchased about 5 dozen locks and began securing vacant units, as far as the locks went. 

while we are on the subject, I have approx 50 tenants with substandard locks on their units.  These are people who assured me at move in that they had disc locks.  Do you have this issue?  How do you handle it without chasing away active tenants

We have Always locked vacant & Damaged units , Why lock the damaged units you ask.. IF someone can get the door up enough to get under it & In to the unit they can hide out there & cut their way into other units at night remove small items then Phone a friend to come pick them up the next day.( I've seen that happen).

https://www.chateauproducts.com  ( No I do not work for them ) sells colored locks, even thought they are plastic they are use full. We use Green for ready to rent, Yellow for needs cleaning & Black for Damaged they are about 2.00 each. When customers see that ALL of the units on the property are locked that feel a bit better, it also helps you out be knowing what each lock is for .

As far as the substandard locks go ,I keep a hasp on the counter with a disc lock & A pad lock in it. When people move in or then the "Weak lock" people came into pay I brink it up that the pad lock can be cut in under 1min & the disk lock "Takes 3 men ,4 boys, a baby & an act of congress to cut through with the same bolt cutters"  It makes people thing a bit ..

MrFugate

brownrooster s

 Officers basically useless to you in these situations? Here, at best, they are apathetic generally condescending, and in the event early this year, they actually told my tenant that it was his opinion that I had something to do with it. and that if it were him, he would leave this place as fast as possible and never look back.

Contact his Sargent asap & let him know that you have some concerns about the way his officer handled the call & would like to have a set down with him about, It might get you a bit better coverage in the area after hours & it gives you the opportunity to take the Sargent to lunch & to let him know that offers a Police & Military discount,(Hopefully you guy do that as well ) We also give our officers 24 hour access. this comes in handy if they work the late shift and need someplace to have a cup of corner store coffee & work on reports between calls. I have 1 officer at my property that sets in my driveway at different times every week & the customers know he dose this so they are very happy for the added safety.

jhopkins6977

Although I am new to storage, don't rule out the tenant as the thief. They could get stuff in and out in view of the cameras and no one would ever know. Just a thought.

Clyde_Lord_Jr

Where are the units located that were broken into? Start there and work your way out. Check the areas above the units to see if anything has been tampered with or jacked up. More cameras may not be the answer anyway. I don't know how often you all do lock checks, but more lock checks during the day may be a deterrent as well. Stagger them throughout the day even though you may not have a lot of activity. One more check before going home may give tenants a chance to see you and you see them. Check your gate activity and then go look around those units every day. Give those customers that do not have disc locks an incentive to switch locks. Or don't rent to anyone that does not have a disc lock in hand ready to put it on after finishing your lease. It's for their peace of mind and the safety of your property.  

themage

We have had one tenant robbing other units and moving the stuff to their own unit. We have also had someone use their exes gate code and keys after a breakup. Cameras are useful after the fact, but not a great preventative. With a one way gate keypad, access security like individual door alarms is harder but doable.

Definitely keep an eye on the locks. One of ours was scouting easy locks, cutting them or the latch, and putting their own lock on or situating the original lock so it looked like it hadn't been tampered with. 

Sometimes the so called "weight sensor" for these gates is actually a metal detector loop and can be activated with a moderately sized piece of metal (bicycle or tool box, etc.) 

As for police, around here they will gladly take a report and give a case number, but unless they actually catch someone in the act or have positive id, there is little they can do. Sometimes we can get them to increase patrols for a few days.

We have perimeter and area sensors that will sound the alarm if anyone is moving around property after the gate locks. Very effective if someone is nearby to respond, but there are some false alarms.

Mojo67

They could be following a customer through the gate maybe, and following someone else out of gate?  Also, we have tenants that lock their units wrong and anyone can lift up the door.

CoffeeZilla

This really is the most painful topic. The same thing happened to me the first month on the job when I was new.
  
For me, it was a shady renter and her family. It's sad really, because she put the unit in her name, and she couldn't have been more than 17 years old. She was positively tiny. However her thieving family used that to their advantage. She was so small, she climbed a ladder inside her unit and squeezed into the empty ceiling space above her adjacent units, took inventory of the units next to her, and only robbed those.

We found a ladder in her unit and hand and foot prints on the insulation. They also used rented trucks and knew where our cameras were so we couldn't get a proper vehicle ID.

The weird thing was the cops knew her name and she was a suspect the second I showed them the printout of Daily Gate Roll. They said it was her method of operation(MO). So if she is a known storage unit thief, why don't I have this information, BEFORE I rent to her?! This is something I want getting soon, a list of people in the area who are known for storage unit theft specifically. Any ideas on who to talk to about getting a list like that?

She was late on her unit payment, so I locked her out of the gate, but I didn't overlock her unit, or else I would've seen that it had no lock, and I would've been curious and investigated. This was purely a training mistake, because I had no training at all. I assumed that locking her out of the gate would be good enough, however now I know she would just follow in behind someone at the gate to get in and out.

Since all this happened, I've learned a lot. Everything is a lesson. I've been super vigilant on my daily walkabouts, I put locks in empty and damaged units, and I overlock units when they are 11 days late. The gate program I use(PTI/StoreLogix), automatically locks them out from the gate on day 11, and I love that feature. The locks we use are Chateau.

There's more to the story, like how long it had been going on, and exactly how I found out to call the cops and their reaction. But thanks for having this here so I could vent.

CVSSSTORAGE

@CoffeeZilla
our break ins the police say it was one of our tenants. She is known for this. They knew exactly where our cameras were. Knew exactly what units had padlocks and not disk locks. I was upset that she is known for this and I had no idea so I called every storage place in my town and some in the nearby town over and only one place was super thankful and shared a do not rent list with us. I try my best to contact other storages and let them know about problem tenants, prices and break ins I do not know why more storage places do not work together.

sonyawiprud

This does sound like an inside job, I realize this thread was started over a year ago, have you been able to stop the thefts? 
My Story:
We have only had one theft in the 5 years we've been here and that theft prompted corporate to get better surveillance cameras for us. We have all the preventative methods in place as everyone else has mentioned above, locks on every single unit vacant and otherwise. Upon running our subpar camera system back to the theft we had, we found that the thief parked in our un-gated customer parking lot, which faces the exit gate and waited for someone to leave so he entered, going the wrong way through the exit gate before it had time to close and unbeknownst to the customer that was leaving. 
We saw him drive directly to the unit he had targeted and it had a crappy non disc lock on it, so he robbed my landscaper in broad  daylight during business hours (office was still closed though). Our cameras were unable at that time to make out the license plate.
The police were able to catch this guy by using footage from another storage facility that had also been robbed by the same guy and they caught the guy who had a stolen truck in Florida. (we're in California). 
So this guy and his partner were following landscapers around who were coming in from their day's work and finding out that they could follow them in, and see what kind of lock the unit had on it. 
So we now have better cameras and if we see someone following someone in during office hours we stop them both and ask if they are together. Also that tenant shamed himself for not using the mandatory round disc lock! Knucklehead!
Its always a good idea to have the tenant file a report with the police for insurance purposes, also it may be part of a ring of thefts they've been investigating so your property would want to be included in the hopes of getting more police presence in your neighborhood. 
Good luck with all of that!

Orkocean

CVSSSTORAGE said:

@CoffeeZilla
our break ins the police say it was one of our tenants. She is known for this. They knew exactly where our cameras were. Knew exactly what units had padlocks and not disk locks. I was upset that she is known for this and I had no idea so I called every storage place in my town and some in the nearby town over and only one place was super thankful and shared a do not rent list with us. I try my best to contact other storages and let them know about problem tenants, prices and break ins I do not know why more storage places do not work together.

This stuff bothers me so much. I always WANT to keep a good relation with the other sites around me. I like to share info on what's going on in the area and what not. When I took this site over and finally went down the street to the other facility and introduced myself the girl joked about how a person they evicted for issues ended up storing at this facility because she saw his google review he left here. Thankfully it was someone the prior management had issues with and had already got out but the fact that they had issues and didn't even share with a site walking distance away, even after seeing he rented here pushes so many buttons for me.

I usually wont bad mouth competition, but them I have no problem sending the riff raff I turn away to. I'll bring up the issues the girls have kindly shared with me about what goes on at their site if i'm trying to keep someone from going to them when they bring up how cheap they are versus us. The saying "you get what you pay for" truly has some merit between their facility and ours.