| Brief Guide to Self Storage |
| What is self-storage? |
| Individuals often need storage space that is secure, dry, accessible, smallish and available at short notice on flexible terms. A range of solutions to this need have been developed and this guide explains how these storage centres work and how best to use them. Many storage facilities have commercial users but they all cater very well for private users moving home or with too much stuff to keep at home. Many good suppliers can be found at: www.self-storage.co.uk |
| How much space do I need? |
| Most storage centres have a range of sizes. These are usually quoted in square feet. This means that a space that is quoted as being 64 square feet is roughly 8ft long by 8ft across - about the size of a very small room. These storage rooms are usually about 9ft high, but they do vary and you should keep an eye out for this when viewing. Larger spaces are usually a bit cheaper per square foot (but not by very much) and larger spaces do have the advantage that you can set things out and find them without moving everything. You probably have a tape measure but if you need one you can order it from: www.measure.co.uk |
| Should I view the space or just phone and turn up with a van? |
| Having established by web search and telephone which site you plan to use it is a good idea to visit before you commit yourself, so that you can check that the space is as you imagined it, and particularly make sure you are happy with the lift/stairs arrangements and length of corridors you'll have to get your stuff along. Most storage centres have good trolleys freely available but if you need to get your own trolley you can find one at: www.trolley.co.uk |
| How to use storage, some tips |
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Use storage carefully! Most people store for much longer than they originally intend and very often find they have spent several times the value of the things stored in storage fees. However, used sensibly, for a few weeks or months it can be really useful and worthwhile. Self-storage makes it much easier to be "between homes" - for example if one is staying with friends or selling one's flat before buying another. Self-storage is very flexible, and you can use this flexibility to your advantage. If you have a large unit and you know that most, but not all, of the stuff needs to be thrown out, then you can go down to the storage centre and sort through it and put the valuable things into a much smaller storage unit. Being able to find stuff is essential, so it's worth getting some plastic boxes or cartons and labelling these. At the time you label them you think you'll never forget what's in them, but you will forget by the time you get the stuff out. Spend minutes labeling things now and you will save hours rummaging later! You can find storage boxes at: www.archives.co.uk |
| Where to find storage centres |
| Many of the self-storage centres have prices and locations on their websites. You can find a local self storage centre through: www.storage.co.uk |
| What should I be asking when I visit? |
You will usually meet up with the manager or their assistant (these centres are very lightly staffed) and you should establish:
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| How do I work out what it's going to cost me? |
| Most self-storage facilities charge on 4 week basis so when working out the likely cost you should remember that this is significantly less than a calendar month. A few storage centres charge vat, but most don't as their business is essentially letting specialised property. |
| What to look out for - dangers and possible problems |
| Many people don't bother to insure their property when it's in storage. In other cases people use the insurance offered by the self-storage company. Nowadays, as the industry is more widely understood and accepted, insurance companies will usually insure your belongings when they are in storage. You could get a quote from one of the companies here: www.cover.co.uk |
| What about padlocks? |
| Many self-storage places will supply padlocks and others will sell these to you, but you can easily get your own - they always come in handy! Some suppliers are available at: www.padlocks.co.uk |
| How should I pack up and protect my stuff? Bubblewrap, cartons etc. |
| Each item should be as near as possible to the most comfortable weight to carry. Don't have hundreds of tiny packages and don't have a dozen tea-chests that are impossible to lift! . It pays to wrap and mark fragile items. This will help you protect them while moving and help you remember to put them on the top of stacks. For cartons the cheapest option is to get them from you local supermarket (usually) or if you want to have some delivered you can find suppliers here: www.cartons.co.uk |
| Where can I find shelving? |
| Many self-storage places will have racked-out units or they will be able to supply shelving. If you want to buy your own this will sometimes work out cheaper if you are using the storage for a long time. You can find suppliers at: www.shelves.co.uk |
| If I have some spare land can I easily create useable space for storage? |
| If you have the use of a large garden or yard and you are likely to be storing things for several months you could consider hiring a steel container. These are very secure and watertight - after all they are designed to sit on docksides and on ships. These measure 20 ft by 8 ft (about 6 metres by 2.5 metres). Again, there are good suppliers at: www.containers.co.uk |
| What do you know about it? |
| Personally I've been using storage space for about 25 years, but for 15 years I've been running a small self-storage company in South London (Dulwich Storage Company). From that experience I've seen a lot of the mistakes that people make and I wrote this piece to promote sensible use of storage space and to help users. But I'm always learning new things - please let me know your thoughts or suggest additional areas to cover in this guide. You can find our storage company in Dulwich, South London at: www.dulwich.co.uk |
| Copyright |
| This article is copyright and is not to be used elsewhere though you are more than welcome to have a link to it from another website by putting a link from your site to it. The article is at: www.storage.co.uk |
| Comments, copyright and linking |
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Comments on this brief guide would be welcome. Also, please let us know if you do put in a link to this guide from your website and we will try to reciprocate with a link from us to your site.
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