Until you can no longer see your stuff, you do not think about security. That is the clumsy part of renting storage units in Hong Kong, you are investing your money in the place which is not under your control, at times in building which you barely know. Finding our additional info for latest update!
There are facilities that appear polished. Light bulbs, key cards, cameras on every corner. On the surface it is reassuring. But it is not always the case of what is seen in a short visit regarding security.
Most of these storage sites are excavated in factory premises. Older ones, and somewhat battered. It does not make that necessarily unsafe but it changes the risk. Shared corridors (having various businesses on the same floor), multiple tenants. You are not the only one that arrives and departs.
I maintained some boxes in a cheaper location in Kwun Tong. It could be accessed easily, perhaps too easily. No people about, just a passcode that was not changed frequently. Convenient, yes. But it made me ask myself who had that code weeks later.
It is likely to be increased with the more expensive storage facilities. Individual unit alarms, better surveillance, limited access. You will have to pay more, but you will be able to sleep without worrying about it at 2 a.m.
However, even better places also have limits. Security systems are not insurances, but only superficial, in the event that someone has the real motive of breaking in. And that is where the insurance comes in and the majority of people overlook that aspect until it is too late.
Another silent problem is humidity. The air in Hong Kong is not soft. Having no right climate control, everything starts to be sticky, then distorted, then a bit damaged. Papers curl. Leather gets weird. Electronic age is changing too fast. It is not robbery, but it is as though losing something.
And this is fire safety. Rules got more strict after several high profile incidences a few years ago. Fire sprinklers, inflammable substances, less complicated designs. That assisted, though not all facilities are equal. Some look upgraded. Others… less so.
There is also the general perception that storage facilities are more secure than leaving things at home. That depends. Well-managed facility is very much controlled. Minimal oversight budget alternative? It is rather a gamble.
Among the things which you realize after having been in the storage more than once: the manner of packing is nearly as significant as the location where you store. Good boxes, good locks, no labelling of the valuables. It is simple yet people do not pay attention to it in case they are in a hurry during a move.
There is also the forgetting what you stored habit. What seemed innocuous, this time, till months pass and you realize that you have not taken a single step towards anything. Something that is not in sight is out of mind and it is at this time that small problems turn out to be big ones.
Storage units of Hong Kong are not necessarily unsafe. However, not all of them are made in the same way and the difference becomes apparent in the details that one fails to notice until later. There is security but it is not absolute. You are peddling house room to another part of the world.