How to deal with tenants who don't follow gate access hours?

jLee28

I've noticed here recently on our gate log that a select few tenants are coming onto the property after hours. Our gate access hours are from 6 am-11 pm only, which is made very clear during the move-in process and even posted on the entrance gate. The system automatically locks them out when they try to come in after 11, but they are waiting until my "newspaper people" who have 24 hr access to come in, then they follow them in. Any ideas or advice on how to deal with this? 

themage

We charge a fee. $25 for every 15 minutes they remain on the property. Of course, they say "it wasn't me", and then we have the "You are responsible for whomever you give your gate code" talk. In our case, after hours access sets off an alarm and management responds. The $25 is essentially management overtime.

Orkocean

Every site i've been at we have a "soft close" so they're told to be out by a set time but the gate wont truly lock down until so long after to ensure no people missing it by 1-2 minutes get locked in. Currently with this company hours are 7-7, we live on site so at 7 i'm looking out my windows and if I see anyone on site I walk out and remind them they are not to be on property after 7 or it's a $200 after hour fine plus considered trespassing. Rarely is it an issue, i've only had to apply the $200 fine once. Most people it's just a simple losing track of time, especially when the time change happens every year.

MamaDuke7

If they do that more than once, I'd evict them (after this craziness blows over).  That's intentional trespassing when they follow someone else in when their access is denied.  And as they say, nothing good happens after midnight!!!  If they aren't a business customer with extra access, they have NO BUSINESS being there!

jLee28

I appreciate the feedback. It is so frustrating when you come across the "Rule-Breakers." I live on-site also and with our access hours being so late it is a little difficult to keep an eye on it overnight. I usually check a few mins. after 11 to see if anyone is still on the property but with my newspaper tenants being in and out all hours of the night certain tenants just take it upon themselves to use that as an opportunity to get in after hours, so I just check the gate log 1st thing in the morning and watch cameras. I'm not the biggest fan of 24hr access at this location anyway seeing as we are in a rough part of town with a big homeless population.

Orkocean

jLee28 said:

I appreciate the feedback. It is so frustrating when you come across the "Rule-Breakers." I live on-site also and with our access hours being so late it is a little difficult to keep an eye on it overnight. I usually check a few mins. after 11 to see if anyone is still on the property but with my newspaper tenants being in and out all hours of the night certain tenants just take it upon themselves to use that as an opportunity to get in after hours, so I just check the gate log 1st thing in the morning and watch cameras. I'm not the biggest fan of 24hr access at this location anyway seeing as we are in a rough part of town with a big homeless population.

That sounds like a conversation you need to have with the people in charge of the newspaper accounts imo. I'm sure your operations are the same as any I have ever dealt with and whoevers gate code is used is responsible for who comes in. We train our customers to not let people follow them. I have ones who will sit and not get out of the way to let them in, or that will come in and notify us.

When I had a limo service with 24 hour access all of the drivers knew no one was to follow them in. Obviously they wouldn't go out of there way to enforce it but if someone did push the issue and still come in they made sure to tell us the next day so we would know to look into it and deal with the trouble makers.

Self_Storage_Life

We use to have a loop in the driveway that if you pulled up to the gate it would open (I never told any tenants about it).  I found that people was abusing that and not keying out when they'd leave or coming in and staying past our midnight gate shut down.  So I unhooked the loop.  Now no one can get out after hours without calling me!!

pacnwstorage

Talk to them and tell them what happens next. Fines or evict them as trespassers or lock their unit(s) and their gate code(s) and tell them they can only come in when the office is open and you let them in.