Your lock. Your key. Your call on insurance.

Here's exactly how a unit at Mountain Springs is secured, who's responsible for what, and the ten-minute homework that protects you if something ever goes wrong.

How your unit is secured

• You bring the lock and you hold the only key. We don't keep a copy and we don't enter your unit, except where the law requires it or in a genuine emergency.
• Your gate code is yours alone. Codes are issued per tenant, not shared, and every use is logged. When you move out, your code is retired the same day.
• The gate stays closed. Access is by code only — there's no open-lot period where anyone can drive through.
• Buy a good lock. A disc lock or a closed-shackle padlock is genuinely harder to defeat than a hardware-store padlock, and the difference is a few dollars. It's the single best thing you control.

Who's responsible for what

This is the part most people never read until they need it, so here it is plainly: your belongings remain yours to insure. That's not a Mountain Springs quirk — it's how self-storage works everywhere, and it'll be spelled out in your rental agreement. We're responsible for maintaining the facility; you're responsible for the value of what's inside your unit.

Which is better news than it sounds, because you may already be covered.

Check your existing policy first

• Homeowner's and renter's policies often already cover property in storage — commonly at a reduced percentage of your total contents limit. One phone call to your agent tells you whether you're covered and for how much.
• Ask three specific questions: Does my policy cover belongings in a self-storage unit? What's the limit? And which causes are covered — theft, fire, water damage, pests?
• Vehicles, boats and RVs are usually different. Those are typically covered by their own auto or watercraft policy, and some insurers offer reduced "in storage" rates while a vehicle isn't being driven. Worth asking — it can pay for the unit.
• If you're not covered, stand-alone storage insurance exists and is inexpensive. Your agent can quote it, and we can point you toward providers once we open.

The ten minutes that matter most

Whether you're insured or not, do this before you close the door — it's the difference between a claim that gets paid and a claim that becomes an argument:

• Photograph everything, including a wide shot of the loaded unit. Timestamped photos on your phone are exactly what an adjuster asks for.
• Write down serial numbers for tools, electronics, appliances and equipment.
• Keep receipts for the valuable items in the same folder as your storage records, not in the unit.
• Don't store what shouldn't be stored. Cash, jewelry, irreplaceable documents and heirlooms belong in a safe or a bank box — no policy makes those easy to replace.
• Pack against moisture and pests — everything dry going in, nothing edible ever. See our packing tips.
• Our 25x50 spaces are open ground, not buildings. They are for RVs, boats, trailers and work vehicles, which have their own weatherproofing. Anything that needs a roof over it belongs in an enclosed 10x10 or 10x20.

General information, not insurance advice. Coverage depends on your own policy and your insurer — ask your agent about your specific situation. Your rental agreement is the document that governs your unit.