Self Storage – What Are My Options

Self Storage – What Are My Options

New Post
15/01/2016

If you find yourself needing to store some of your personal belongings, before or after your move, you have a few options. To determine which is best for you, you’ll want to consider your budget, how long you need to store your items, and the space that is available to you.

The following are the things we think are best to know when choosing how to store your personal belongings.

Self-Storage Facilities

Self-storage facilities rent out storage units, or lockers, to people who want to store their personal items for the short or long term. The price that you’ll pay for a self-storage unit will vary, depending on the size of the unit you need, the location of the storage facility, and the location of the storage locker within the facility.

At self-storage facilities, you typically need to supply your own lock to secure your belongings. You also usually have to purchase insurance to protect your items, or you need to provide the facility with proof that your homeowners or renters insurance policy will cover loss of your items.

When you store your items in a self-storage unit, you have to do all of the moving of your belongings into, and out of, the unit yourself (unless you hire a mover). Self-storage units are good for people that may, at some point, need easy access to items inside. Many self-storage facilities will give you a gate code to access your belongings even after office hours.

Warehouse Storage

Warehouse Storage is where your belongings are stored in a warehouse type facility, along with other client’s effects. Your belongings would be stowed away within the facility, with dividers separating each client’s load.

Warehouse Storage is typically owned by the removalist company and it is preferable that their removalists do the moving. This ensures the safety of your beloved items, and eliminates any stress of trying to pack your items into Storage without the knowledge of proper packing procedures.

Warehouse storage is generally your cheapest option for storage as you only pay for the space that is used by your effects.
Depending on the company, when you are ready to move in or out of Warehouse storage, they will supply you with staff, trucks and any other equipment that may be needed for your particular load, which is usually at a pre-confirmed quoted price or an hourly rate of charge.

This option would best suit people who will not need to access their belongings regularly – as they will be stowed away, being fairly inaccessible without manual unstowal (which might incur an extra cost depending on the company and your load).
For those who are leaving for holidays and didn’t want to host a housesitter, Warehouse Storage would be a perfect solution to ensure the safety of your items while you are away.
Warehouse storage is suitable for both short-term & long-term clients, with any amount of furniture.

Container Storage

There are some companies that provide container storage on a short term basis. Typically, these containers are packed by the person storing the items. But, again, you can hire movers to pack belongings into the container for you.

Container storage is ideal for people who need temporary storage of items as they await moving into their new home. Storage containers, or pods, are often placed on the property that a person is moving from, and sometimes (with approval) they can be placed on a street near the home.

People who are moving to a new house, but don’t yet have key access to the home, can sometimes come to an agreement with the property owner who is leaving to store items before the move in a storage container unit. On occasion, container storage companies will take your pod to their warehouse for safe keeping until you need it, which means that access to your stored items will be limited.

These are three popular storage services for residential moves. But, there are a handful of other options that can work. If you are moving to a property with a lot of space, and you need permanent storage, you can consider buying a storage shed to keep your items packed away.

The cost of each of these storage options will vary, depending on your location and other factors. So, take this into account as you decide what to do with your belongings.

As you prepare for your move, if you need more tips and suggestions for self storage, choosing packing materials, or hiring removalists, feel free to give us a call. We are happy to speak with you about the details of your individual move.

Get A Quote
Get A Quote