Self-storage in the DACH market 2026: where the industry stands

Growth with structural change

The self-storage market in Germany, Austria and Switzerland has grown steadily for years. More urban living, more flexible lifestyles, growing e-commerce — all trends that drive demand for external storage space. The industry association reports average occupancy rates of over 85% for established facilities in metropolitan areas.

At the same time, the market is changing structurally. Larger operators are expanding their portfolios, acquiring independent facilities and bringing them onto their own platforms. The days when self-storage was primarily a family business are numbered — at least in the urban segment.

The digitalisation gap

While occupancy rates are healthy, many operators face a digitalisation gap. The typical facility in the DACH region still works with a combination of:

• A booking system (often cloud-based and modern)
• An access control system (often old, hardware-based, not integrated)
• Manual processes for handovers, key management and exception handling

This disconnect costs time and money. Staff are tied up with key handovers, access codes via WhatsApp and exception management. The booking system knows who has booked — but the door doesn’t know yet.

What operators actually want

In conversations with over 60 operators in the DACH region, a clear picture emerges of what they want from a modern access system:

Automation first: The biggest pain point is manual work. Operators want access rights to be set up and removed automatically — without staff intervention.

Reliability over features: Fancy features are secondary. What matters is that the door reliably opens for the right person. 99% reliability is not enough when you have 500 units.

Simple operations: IT departments don’t exist in most self-storage companies. The system must be manageable without deep technical knowledge.

Integration, not silo: Access control that works in isolation — without connection to the booking system — creates more problems than it solves.

Where the industry is heading

Two trends are shaping the next few years:

Consolidation: The DACH market is increasingly being dominated by a handful of larger operators and platforms. This raises the bar for technology: larger portfolios require more robust, scalable systems.

Automation pressure: Staff shortages and rising wage costs are making full automation a competitive advantage, not just a luxury. Facilities that can operate without staff have a structural cost advantage.

For access control providers, this means: the focus must shift from hardware features to integration quality and reliability. A nice app is table stakes. What matters is whether the system genuinely works with the booking tool — not just on paper, but in practice every day.