You do not give any thought to security until you cannot see your stuff any longer. That is the fumbling aspect of the renting of the storage units in Hong Kong, you are putting your money in the location that is not controlled by you, sometimes in the building that you hardly know. Get the facts about this topic!

There are facilities that appear polished. Light bulbs, key cards, cameras on every corner. On the surface it is reassuring. However it is not always like what I get to see in a brief visit concerning security.

A majority of these warehouses are dug in factory grounds. Elderly, and rather tattered. It does not render that necessarily unsafe but it alters 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 human beings there, only a pin code that was not altered regularly. Convenient, yes. But it made me ask myself who had that code weeks later.

It will also be high probably in tandem with the more costly storage facilities. Single unit alarms, improved surveillance, restricted access. You will have to pay more, but you will be able to sleep without worrying about it at 2 a.m.

But the even better places have their limits. They are not insurances, but mere superficial security systems are put in place in case a person has the actual intentions 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 Hong Kong air is not tender. Having no right climate control, everything starts to be sticky, then distorted, then a bit damaged. Papers curl. Leather gets weird. Electronic era is evolving at an alarming rate. It is not robbery but it is like losing something.

And this is fire safety. The stricter rules came about following a few 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.

It is also believed that storage facilities are more secure compared to leaving the things at home. That depends. Well-managed facility is very much controlled. Minimal oversight budget alternative? It is quite a gambling game.

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.

The forgetting what you stored habit is also there. What appeared to be harmless, this time, until months later, when you find that you have not made a single step towards anything. Something not seen is not thought of and it is at this moment that slight issues become large ones.

Storage units of Hong Kong are not necessarily unsafe. Nevertheless, not all of them are created in the same manner and the contrast is quite evident in the details, which one overlooks until a later time. There is security but it is not absolute. You are selling house room to a different section of the world.