What Does the Future of Disc Locks Look Like? Will There Be Locks at All?
Take a walk through most storage facilities today and you’ll still see it:
A disc lock hanging on the door like a badge of tenant ownership.
It’s simple. Durable. Trusted.
But is it forever?
With smart tech accelerating across security, logistics, and customer access, the humble disc lock may be heading the way of paper leases and gate clickers.
Let’s take a look.
Why Disc Locks Still Dominate
Disc locks became the gold standard for a reason:
They’re hard to cut
They withstand weather
They’re affordable and widely available
They give tenants physical peace of mind
But they also come with pain points:
Keys get lost
Locks get left off
Managers have no way to verify unit access
Cutting a lock is time-consuming (and noisy)
The real issue? They’re physical. And in a digital-first world, physical doesn’t scale well.
Enter: Smart Access and Digital Control
Many facilities today — especially in Class A or recently modernized builds — are going keyless.
Tenants get:
Mobile app access
Bluetooth-enabled doors
Remote lock/unlock
Activity logs and access alerts
From a tenant’s point of view, it’s like having Nest or Ring installed on your storage unit.
From an owner’s point of view, it’s a game-changer:
No more manual overlocks
Cleaner delinquency management
Improved theft deterrence
Better visibility into who’s coming and going
What Happens to the Lock?
It may not disappear entirely — but it will evolve.
Some possibilities in the next decade:
Biometric locks (fingerprint or face unlock)
Encrypted RFID or token-based access tied to identity
Integration with vehicle license plate recognition
No external hardware at all — just cloud-linked access panels
The physical disc may remain in some settings, especially rural or low-tech markets. But in high-demand corridors and institutional-grade facilities, it may quietly fade away.
Is It Just Hype?
No. But it is unevenly distributed.
Smart locks and digital access have been common in multifamily and commercial buildings for years. Storage is just catching up — and doing so quickly in:
Urban markets
New construction
Operator rollups and REIT-led portfolios
That means if you’re acquiring, building, or managing a facility today, you need to consider the tenant experience five years from now — not five years ago.
So How Will We Keep Our Stuff Safe?
The same way we do everything else now:
With layered, digital systems
With accountability and access logs
With convenience and control in the hands of the user
The question isn’t whether locks will exist.
It’s whether tenants will ever want to use one again.
