An unstaffed facility can be a tough sell to a new tenant walking the property alone.
In Episode 3 of The Truth Behind the Door, self-storage operator Gary Edmonds explains how partnering with StorageDefender turns that into a selling point.
Without a manager on-site five days a week, Gary’s team relies on Smart Storage Units to provide in-unit monitoring and alert tenants the instant there’s activity inside their storage unit. That real-time connection gives tenants peace of mind, and it’s often the reason they choose to rent there in the first place.
Gary sums it up best: “It’s the perception of protection at the facility that brings in new tenants, and it helps us manage the facility better from a remote distance.”
See how real-time visibility changes the tenant experience. Watch Episode 3 below.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are Smart Units and Smart Zones?
Smart Units are StorageDefender’s in-unit monitoring devices. They give tenants 24/7 peace of mind by alerting them the moment activity is detected inside their self-storage unit. Smart Zones extend that visibility to a facility’s common areas, like hallways, entry points, and outdoor spaces. They monitor motion, temperature, and humidity to give operators a fuller picture of facility conditions beyond individual units. - How does Smart Unit monitoring affect a tenant’s decision to rent at an unstaffed facility?
Real-time, in-unit monitoring gives tenants a sense of peace of mind even without a visible on-site manager. Operators report that this enhanced protection is often a deciding factor for tenants choosing a facility, particularly at remotely managed properties. - How does StorageDefender strengthen portfolios that are managed remotely?
StorageDefender’s dashboard gives leadership real-time visibility into unit activity, tenant trends, unauthorized access alerts, and vacant unit monitoring across an entire portfolio, without needing to be on-site. Urgent activity triggers immediate escalations, while weekly reports give executives a high-level summary of top trends across the portfolio.
Operators like Family Heirloom Storage, which runs 26 facilities with just 8 managers, use this combination to manage confidently at scale. Read the full Family Heirloom Storage case study to learn more. - Can Smart Units monitor vacant or unrented units?
Yes. Empty units can be monitored the same way occupied ones are, allowing operators to get notified of unexpected activity even in units that aren’t currently rented. - What’s the financial impact of a single break-in on a facility’s reputation and operations?
Beyond the immediate loss, a single break-in can result in multiple tenant claims, legal fees, increased insurance premiums, and reputational damage that affects future occupancy. Preventive, real-time monitoring is often less costly long-term than absorbing the fallout of an incident after the fact. - How quickly can a facility see revenue results after adopting Smart Units?
Family Heirloom Storage saw measurable results within six months of deployment, including an 8 out of 10 tenant adoption rate, a $12 monthly revenue increase per unit, and a $228 lifetime revenue increase per Smart Unit. Read the full Family Heirloom Storage case study.
West Coast Self-Storage Announces Portfolio-Wide Rollout of StorageDefender Smart Storage Units
West Coast Self-Storage, the #8-ranked facility-management company on the 2026 Inside Self-Storage Top-Operators List, will standardize StorageDefender Smart Unit and Smart Zone monitoring across its portfolio of nearly 170 locations through Q4 2026.
StorageDefender Awarded Third U.S. Patent of 2026 for Smart Technology Solutions
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Insured Facilities Running SBOA Tenant Insurance and StorageDefender Cut Costs Associated with Theft by 52% Per Unit
SBOA Tenant Insurance today reported that insured facilities equipped with StorageDefender Smart Units recorded materially lower theft losses than comparable facilities without them. The analysis, conducted by SBOA Tenant Insurance, covered 33 self-storage facilities in The Jenkins Organization portfolio and reports that theft-related claim costs fell 52% per insured unit, and theft-related claims reported fell 37% per 1,000 insured units.
StorageDefender and CCStorage Announce Software Integration to Automate Smart Unit Revenue and Unit Level Intelligence
StorageDefender and CCStorage announced a software integration that automates Smart Unit enrollment and subscription management. First operator live is Family Heirloom Storage, where more than 8 in 10 tenants rented units with Smart Unit service, generating an additional $144 in annual revenue per enrolled unit.
How Smart Units Help Self-Storage Operators Manage Facilities Remotely
An unstaffed facility doesn’t have to mean an unmonitored one. See how Smart Units give self-storage operators real-time visibility, without daily on-site staff.
How Self-Storage Operators Maintain StorageDefender Smart Units
In Episode 2 of The Truth Behind the Door, self-storage operator Gary Edmonds gets real about what maintaining Smart Storage Units actually requires, and the answer comes down to just two things: long battery life and fast network response. Here’s how StorageDefender keeps maintenance off an operator’s plate entirely…