Self-storage – the facts

So it’s Election Day and….no, we’re probably all heartily sick of that so lets talk about something else. Let’s talk about storage. For all tenants, storage is – at some point – an inevitability. Whether you need a couple of months of self storage while you move from one property to another, or you’re downsizing and looking for somewhere to keep the essentials until you can afford to upsize again, storage provides an easy solution that doesn’t have to cost the earth. To help you find the best storage for your needs we’ve put together a few essential tips.

1. Don’t forget to factor in the insurance. It’s important to have some insurance for the possessions you’re putting into storage – presumably they have some worth or you wouldn’t be keeping them! This often isn’t factored into initial quotes from self-storage companies so you’ll need to ask for this to be included. The cost usually comes in somewhere around £1.50 a week.

2. And the other extras…like any business many storage companies make money on extras so check this before you agree to anything. For example, you will most likely need your own padlock for the storage unit and for the insurance to be valid it may need to be a certain type of padlock that only the storage business sells. You see what we mean? Costs like this are rarely extortionate but worth knowing in advance. The other extra is of course VAT – that additional 20% can make a big difference so include it into your quote.

3. Where should the storage unit be? Most of us tend to automatically opt for storage near where we live, or are planning to live, but storage costs vary depending on the area. Normally, the inner city options are much more expensive so it can be worth investigating more out of town storage facilities to get a better price. If you’re not planning to access whatever you’re putting into storage during the course of a year, for example, then there’s no real need to have the storage unit close to where you’re living and this is just an unnecessary expense.

4. Get your quote matched. Storage facilities are very competitive when it comes to the pricing so do your research and find the cheapest and best quotes within your area. You’ll also find that many storage businesses will offer to match a cheaper quote if you find one within a certain distance so it’s definitely worth shopping around before you settle with one option.

5. Transporting items to storage. It’s all very well booking your storage facility but how are you going to get everything there? If you don’t have a car – or even if you do and you’re transporting large items – then you need to find a service that includes removals. Alternatively, factor in the cost of a man and van. Things to remember here include the extra charges for carrying things up and down stairs, the additional costs if you go over the agreed time and the fact that it might be cheaper to use the storage facility’s own transport as part of a bundle.

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