One of the biggest mistakes that an apartment complex owner can do is to provide wire mesh storage lockers for their residents. Some property owners are sold to the idea that wire mesh storage costs less to install than secure storage bins. This is an incorrect assumption, and hopefully, more multifamily apartment owners will learn that it is not cheaper to install wire cages than solid, secure storage units. In fact, wire storage cages may end up costing much more in the long run.
Wire Mesh Storage Lockers are Unsightly
The first obvious issue when it comes to wire mesh storage bins is that they are ugly. When a prospective tenant visits an apartment complex like Manchaca apartments to find a new place to live, the first thing they might see is a bunch of ugly cages full of unsightly stuff that the residents don’t have room for in their apartment. The whole complex itself might look like a million-dollar wonder with brand new paint and gleaming windows, but if there is a huge eyesore that they have to look at every time they go into their parking area, they might not want to deal with it. Especially if there are 10 other apartment complexes that offer secure storage units. Sometimes the competition can be stiff, and the tenants that can afford to shop around are probably the ones that you would prefer to live in your complex.
Wire Mesh Storage Lockers Attract Crime
One of the worst things about wire cage storage bins is that everybody can see right inside of them and know what is there. Even if the storage boxes are built with care and have painted frames with big locks on them, they are prime real estate for thieves. All somebody has to do is walk by the storage area and they can take an inventory of what is available to come back for later. When thieves find an easy place to target, they tend to come back again and again.
Wire mesh can be bent and pulled in order to create spaces large enough for a person to fit through. Even if they can’t bend the wires far enough to get inside of the bin, a hefty pair of wire cutters can do the trick and allow easy access for people to get in and get whatever they want.
Wire Mesh Storage Lockers Fail
A study was done that asked a bunch of apartment renters what storage solution they would rather have and an overwhelming majority of them stated that they would prefer a solid, private, storage bin as opposed to a wire mesh storage cage. The thing that makes this discovery even better is that most of the people that chose storage bins over wire mesh said that they would be willing to pay more each month in order to have the solid storage bins. Many of the renters said that they would pay between $35 and $100 + in order to have a solid, on-site storage solution that gave them privacy and security.
Conclusion
On top of being ugly, a security risk, unwanted and unpopular, wire mesh storage lockers have the potential to cost more money than they are to install. If you lose a bunch of tenants that have options for great storage in other apartments, you could end up with a bunch of vacant apartments. Why endure vacant apartments that lose money, when you install a sensible storage solution that will not only keep tenants happy but inspire them to pay more money and increase your monthly revenue?