# How to protect a garage and a garage door against burglary

A garage often holds things worth more than the garage itself: a car, bicycles, a spare set of tyres, power tools. Yet the security of many garages ends with the factory lock in the door or an ordinary padlock. After a break-in, it also turns out that the insurer asks about the security measures described in the policy terms. If they were not there, the compensation may be lower or there may be none at all.

[See the full page](https://maszbox.pl/en/blog/zabezpieczenie-garazu-przed-wlamaniem)

- Author: [Marsel Zychowski](https://maszbox.pl/en/autor/marsel-zychowski.md)
- Published October 17, 2026

![An up-and-over garage door locked with an additional bolt and a padlock with a shrouded shackle](https://maszbox.pl/images/blog/okladka-zabezpieczenie-garazu-przed-wlamaniem.webp)

Below you will find a list of weak points to check, ways of securing the door and the garage matched to its type, rules for installing a camera in line with the GDPR and steps to take after a break-in. We also describe separately who is responsible for security when a garage is rented.

## First check the garage's weak points

- **Door:** whether it has play on the hinges and guides, whether its bottom edge can be prised up, whether it locks at only one point.
- **Lock and cylinder:** whether it is the factory lock in the handle, whether the cylinder has a security class, how many keys are in circulation.
- **Padlock and hasp:** whether the hasp is fixed with screws on the outside that can be undone.
- **Side doors, windows and skylights:** they are often weaker than the garage door.
- **Walls and roof of a metal garage:** whether the sheet metal is fastened with screws from the outside and whether the garage is fixed to the ground.
- **Surroundings:** whether the access road is lit and whether the door can be seen from windows or from the street.

## Securing the garage door

### Up-and-over door

This is the most common door in older garages and metal garages. From the factory it usually locks via the lock in the handle, which is connected to bolts. You will secure it better if you:

- add side or bottom bolts that lock the door leaf in the frame on both sides,
- replace the lock cylinder with one that has a security class and a code card, meaning a key can only be copied on presentation of the card,
- add an external door lock, e.g. a floor lock, if you go away for longer.

### Sectional door with an opener

- Check whether the opener has a mechanical lock that stops the door being lifted from outside.
- Secure the emergency release, i.e. the cord for manual unlocking. It should not be possible to reach it through the gap at the top edge of the door.
- If you go away for longer, use an additional manual bolt.

### Remote and opener

Choose openers with rolling code. Do not leave the remote in a car parked on the street. After losing a remote or when the tenant changes, delete the old remotes from the receiver's memory. When buying a new door, you can ask the manufacturer for a burglary resistance certificate (resistance class) and request a document that confirms it.

## Padlocks, locks and hasps

- Choose a padlock with a hardened, shrouded shackle. Such a shackle is harder to cut with bolt cutters.
- Fit the hasp so that the screws are on the inside or covered, not on the street side.
- Check your insurance terms. Insurers often require specific security measures, e.g. a lock or a multi-lever padlock, and a specific number of them.
- Count the keys. An unknown number of copies from previous years is a reason to replace the cylinder.

## How to secure a garage - depending on its type

| Garage | Weak point | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Detached brick garage by a house | door, side door, window facing the garden | door bolts, a strong side door with a lock, an alarm sensor connected to the home system, a motion-sensor light |
| Garage in a row on an estate | up-and-over door with a padlock, dark access road, few witnesses | extra bolts, a padlock with a shrouded shackle, lighting and a camera agreed with the site manager, an arrangement with neighbours to tell each other about open doors |
| Metal garage | thin sheet metal, screws on the outside, no anchoring | anchors to the ground, shear-head screws or fixings from the inside, an extra door bolt, a battery-powered alarm with phone notifications |
| Box in a garage hall | shared entrance, remote kept in the car | a lock or padlock on the box, the remote always with you, reporting faults of the entrance gate to the manager, checking whether the hall has the manager's CCTV |

![A row of brick garages with up-and-over doors on an estate and a lit access road](https://maszbox.pl/images/blog/szereg-garazy-na-osiedlu-oswietlony-dojazd.webp)

## Lighting, alarm and monitoring

A motion-sensor light above the door and a visible alarm sticker are cheap measures that discourage attempts. An alarm in a garage without electricity can run on batteries and send a notification to your phone. What matters is that someone responds to that notification.

### A camera at a garage and the GDPR

- A camera that covers only your garage or your plot falls under the exemption for purely personal or household activities, so the GDPR does not apply to it.
- If the camera also records a public road, other people's garages or common areas, the exemption does not apply. This follows from the judgment of the Court of Justice of the EU in the Ryneš case. The President of the Polish Data Protection Authority (UODO) has already ordered owners to point their cameras only at their own property.
- In a row of garages and in a garage hall, install a camera only with the consent of the manager, the cooperative or the residents' association.

![A CCTV camera above a garage door pointed only at the garage entrance](https://maszbox.pl/images/blog/kamera-monitoringu-nad-brama-garazu.webp)

## Renting a garage? Who secures it and who pays

The owner hands over the garage in a condition suitable for the agreed use (Article 662 § 1 of the Polish Civil Code), i.e. with a working door and lock. When the tenant changes, it is worth replacing the cylinder or reprogramming the remotes.

Without the landlord's consent, the tenant may not make changes in the garage that are contrary to the agreement or to the garage's purpose (Article 667 § 1). An additional bolt, alarm or camera is best agreed in writing. After the rental ends, the owner may keep the improvements against payment of their value or demand that the previous condition be restored (Article 676), unless you agree otherwise.

**Keys and remotes:** write their number into the handover report. The tenant is liable for a lost key or remote, unless they lost it through no fault of their own.

**Insurance:** the owner insures the garage, and the tenant insures their car and belongings.

How to put these rules in writing is shown in the guide on [a garage rental agreement](https://maszbox.pl/en/blog/umowa-najmu-garazu.md). Before renting out, the owner will find a checklist in the guide [how to get a garage ready to rent out](https://maszbox.pl/en/blog/jak-przygotowac-garaz-do-wynajmu.md).

## Insurance and security measures

In policies, theft with burglary usually means theft after a security measure has been removed by force or with tools. Signs of a break-in matter.

The general terms and conditions of insurance (OWU) set out the required security measures. If the garage did not have them, the insurer may reduce the compensation or refuse to pay.

Belongings in a garage away from home, e.g. in a row of garages on an estate, are not always covered by home insurance. Check the place of insurance. We described a similar problem when [insuring belongings in a rented warehouse](https://maszbox.pl/en/blog/ubezpieczenie-rzeczy-w-wynajetym-magazynie.md).

A car is protected against theft by comprehensive car insurance (autocasco), not by a garage policy.

## What to do after a garage break-in

1. Do not go inside if the burglar may still be there. Call 112.
2. Do not touch anything before the police arrive, and take photos of the door, the lock and the interior.
3. Report the crime to the police and get a confirmation.
4. Report the claim to the insurer within the deadline set in the OWU.
5. List the stolen items with receipts and serial numbers.
6. Replace the lock or the cylinder. If the garage is rented, notify the other party to the agreement immediately.

## Marsel Zychowski

MaszBox Team

We share practical know-how on renting and selling space - garages, warehouses, storage units, parking spots and more.

## Questions about securing a garage

### What is the best padlock for a garage?

One with a hardened and shrouded shackle, combined with a strong hasp screwed on from the inside. Also check whether it meets the requirements in your policy terms.

### Can an alarm be installed in a garage without electricity?

Yes. There are battery-powered alarms that send notifications to your phone via the mobile network. Remember to replace the batteries.

### Can I install a camera on a garage in a row on an estate?

Only so that it records nothing but your garage. If it covers the road or other people's garages, the GDPR applies, and to install it on someone else's land you need the manager's consent.

### I am looking for a garage that is already well secured. Where should I look?

In the listings on Maszbox.pl, you can check the type of door and the security measures in the description. See garages for rent and garages for sale. We described similar rules for smaller storage spaces in the guide how to secure a storage unit against theft.