Boy, oh boy. Did you even imagine that being a property manager, whether you’re the property owner or just a manager of the property, would require the knowledge of so much vocabulary? Having to choose the best options for your property requires a bit of background knowledge, but heck.
Today we’re going to be looking at the difference between parking storage and wire mesh bins so you can decide which one gets the most bang for your buck. After you’re done reading this article, with any amount of luck, you’ll know which one will be better for your property.
We will be looking at which one is more secure as well as a couple of other criteria so you can know which one is definitively best for your property and, by extension, will be able to show you the highest return on investment.
It’s easy to go with the first cheapest option that you’re able to find and go right to installing it because of the convenience, but by the time you’re doing reading this article, you’ll see that you can get much better results by making sure to do a bit more research first.
Parking Storage Vs Wire Mesh Bins: Which is More Secure?
Security is a big deal, especially when it comes to storing your things. You’d much rather leave your stuff somewhere that you feel it will be safe and is less likely to be stolen than somewhere else where your things could be taken.
If we didn’t care about the things we were storing, we’d store them in the trash or on the side of the road along with another pile of debris that’s built up by other people that don’t care about the things they’ve placed in this location.
Now, it’s important to note that there is no such thing as perfect security. There’s always a hole somewhere. If you were omniscient you could easily rob even Fort Knox blind. There’s a saying in security that goes something like “if there’s a lock, it can be opened.”
That being said, you’re not likely to have to deal with many lockpicks. If you’re worried about them, get a better lock. Even the best lock can be picked with enough time and the right tools, but most lockpicks only have their basic set on them at any time, making advanced locks very difficult.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that most thefts are crimes of opportunity. Opportunity often comes with convenience. You’re not going to have anyone planning an Ocean’s Eleven style heist for your apartment complex, and if you do you have much bigger problems on your hands.
The most common form of theft is called a smash and grab. This involves quickly breaking into something, taking whatever you can grab in a matter of seconds, and fleeing. It’s fast and violent, usually not taking any longer than a few seconds to execute from start to finish.
So, which is better against smash and grabs, parking storage, or wire mesh bins? Let’s take a look at both so we can decide which is better.
Wire Mesh Bins
Wire mesh bins are made of, well, wire mesh. It’s usually steel or iron wire, which one would think is somewhat secure. Let’s look at the pros and cons here:
- Pros:
- Somewhat durable.
- Always cheap.
- Cons:
- Contents are easily visible.
- Can be broken into with something as simple as wire cutters.
- Very easy to access in a moment’s time.
As you might imagine, these wire mesh bins are incredibly easy targets for smash and grab thefts. Wire cutters aren’t the hardest thing to carry on you without arising any suspicion, which means that if someone is out to steal stuff they’ll view these as easy targets.
It really only takes a second to get into the wire mesh bin this way, and because the thief already knows what’s inside they could easily know what their game plan is and what they want to take from the bin before moving along. That plan could even be drafted in the moments before they begin cutting the bin open.
Parking Storage
Parking storage units are usually a lot heartier than wire mesh bins. In most cases, these are made up of concrete walls or something that’s equally difficult to break into. Let’s once again take a look at the pros and cons:
- Pros:
- Durable.
- Impossible to see into.
- Hard to smash and grab.
- Solid steel or iron door.
- Usually also on the lower end of the spectrum of cost.
- Cons:
- Can take up more space than wire mesh bins.
- Unmovable.
- Still only as strong as the lock that’s used.
As you might imagine, parking storage provides a challenge to the common thief. Cutting a lock can be just as easy as cutting a wire mesh bin, but the difference is in the tools that you need. While wire mesh can be cut with a wire cutter, locks require bolt cutters, which look a lot more suspicious to walk around with.
A thief could also try to break through the door with varying levels of success, but doing so would be incredibly noisy and would take a lot more time than they would really have in that situation. Remember, the faster the crime the easier it is to do for the criminal.
Which is More Secure?
The parking storage is a lot more secure for a lot of obvious reasons. Criminals prefer to be in and out as quickly as possible. The more noise they need to make in order to make this happen, the less time they have to finish their task.
Not every criminal is very smart, in fact, most are not, but the vast majority of criminals don’t want to be caught. That means that the longer you can force them to be in one place to commit their crime, the less likely they’ll be to commit said crime.
This is only increased if they have to make a lot of noise to accomplish their goal, for example, if they have to attempt to smash down a solid metal door. Thieves abhor noise, it’s best to work in silence under the cover of night. That’s the easiest way to get away with your crimes, that is.
Of course, as we mentioned, if someone really wanted to get into your parking storage, they easily could. That being said, if someone is going through the effort to quickly and quietly get in and out of your parking storage, you and your tenant have much bigger things to worry about.
Which is Priced Better?
Now, we understand that security isn’t the only thing on your mind. Security is important, but if you’re going to install on-site storage you want to make sure you can make money off of it. That’s just basic economics.
You have to make an investment in your on-site storage, so you want to make sure that you’ll get at least a decent return on investment. Otherwise, it just becomes a money pit and nobody wants that. Wed all much rather make money on the things that we sink money into.
Starting off with the wire mesh bins, wire mesh bins are cheap. You could easily get them installed within your budget no matter how low your budget is. They’re also incredibly quick to be installed because they usually come pre-assembled, which means you can start making money on them quickly.
With wire mesh bins, you’re really getting what you pay for as far as security and tenant faith goes. Most tenants don’t trust the wire mesh bins because a lot of people understand the concept of smash and grabs, and if they don’t there’s a good chance that they will at some point. It’s that common.
Parking lot storage is somewhat surprisingly affordable. For the same price as a lot of the wire mesh bins, you can get parking lot storage installed. That means that you don’t have to spend much more money and your tenants will feel a lot more comfortable.
In most cases, parking lot storage is even cheaper than wire mesh storage. You just have to be ready to do your research to make sure that you’re finding something solid enough for the price, but that’s easy. There are a lot of really good companies out there offering on-site storage solutions.
Keeping Your Tenant’s Things Safe
Security is one of the most important things in this world. Some people have things or rooms that they’d prefer to keep most people out of, and having security features installed can ensure that you’re getting what you need out of it.
Whether you’re going to have armed guards or just a decent lock and security camera really depends on what exactly is being stored, but either way you’ll be able to easily get the right level of security for the job, no matter what the job might happen to be.