Moving seems to bring on a laundry list of tasks to accomplish in a short amount of time. One of those tasks may be to find a storage unit for some, or all of your stuff. If you’re wondering where to start when it comes to finding storage solutions, read on for advice from some experts.
Consider These 4 Factors
When you are moving from one place to another, sometimes you need to store your items temporarily. Storage units exist to help store items when you don’t have another place to put them. However, when looking for a storage unit that will work to store your family’s items while moving there are a lot of things to take into consideration.
● The first thing you want to take into consideration is how much you need to store. Are you storing a one-bedroom house? Appliances? A garage or shed? Figuring out how many items and how big of items to store is a good start. This gives you an idea of what size unit you will need. Most storage facilities have a storage unit calculator on their website to let you know what approximately fits in what size unit. This storage space calculator allows you to pinpoint everything you will be storing and it will come up with a size.
● Another thing you want to consider is whether the items you are storing are temperature-sensitive or not. If you plan on storing electronics, photos, antiques, or leather furniture you might want to consider investing in a climate-controlled storage unit. A climate-controlled unit normally costs more but has the benefit of being temperature controlled so the heat or cold won’t damage your items.
● Along with climate control, you want to consider whether you need a storage unit that you can drive into or not. Some places offer drive-in or drive-through units that aren’t climate controlled. For some climate-controlled units, you still have to brace for the weather to move your items into the building while for others you can drive right in and unload.
● Your family will also have to consider how much they can spend monthly and how many months they should have the unit. Things can come up so always plan to have the unit longer than you would like and budget appropriately.
Lastly, I recommend that you make a list of the value of everything you plan to store. It doesn’t happen often but if something did happen to your items you would want to know what was lost. Many storage facilities offer some type of insurance or protection as well as you can provide your own. Having coverage on the items in the unit just in case will save a lot of time and money in case of an incident.
You can visit multiple storage facilities and ask lots of questions to make sure to find the facility that will best fit your needs. Remember the old saying, there are no stupid questions. Feel free to tell the facility that you have never rented a storage unit before and you would like all the information and the full tour. You’d rather do research and take the time to store your family’s items in a safe, clean place instead of finding the cheapest storage facility that isn’t up to par.
Size of the Storage Unit
Whenever we get a customer asking for storage, we always try to ascertain the volume of goods to be stored. We can do this in one of three ways. Firstly, an inventory, from which one of our surveyors can recommend a suitable size of storage unit based on the list. A one-to-one home survey where their surveyor goes out to the property and can visually calculate the volume of goods to be stored and then offer solutions. Or our most popular method since the lockdown; the video survey. When we video call the client, they show us exactly what needs to be moved or stored and we can give them storage options based on what we’ve seen in the video survey.
Your Unique Needs Will Play a Role
Below are some factors to consider when choosing a storage solution:
The Size of Your Home
If you’re downsizing, you’ll only need a smaller storage solution. Conversely, if you’re moving into a larger home, you’ll need a larger storage solution. Similarly, if you have a lot of belongings, you’ll need a bigger storage solution. On the other hand, if you have only a few items, you can get away with smaller storage space.
How Long You Need It
Short-term storage needs differ from long-term storage needs. You’ll want to choose a solution that can accommodate your timeline. Naturally, the costs will also vary depending on how long you need the storage.
Accessibility
If you need to access your belongings frequently, you’ll want a storage solution that is easily accessible. Otherwise, accessibility won’t be as big of a concern.
Security
If you’re storing valuable items, you’ll want to ensure they’re stored securely. Choose a storage solution with good security features.
The Best Option
Most families use self-storage facilities like U-Haul and Extra Space storage because it is the most economical and convenient option. This option allows you to store your belongings in a safe and secure location without worrying about them. Plus, you can access your belongings easily if you need to.
On the other hand, full-service storage companies like Trove and Red Bin offer a more comprehensive solution. They will pick up your belongings, store them securely, and document everything for you. This is an excellent option if you’re uncomfortable with self-storage or don’t have the time to do it yourself.
Packing Services and Facility Security
There are two situations when moving families typically are looking for storage solutions:
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- 1. When they are staging their current house for sale, so they put some of their belongings in storage, or
- 2. They’ve moved to a new location but are not ready to move into their new home (Perhaps it is still being built, or they are renting a smaller residence while house shopping).
In either case, it will be most helpful if the items stored are move-ready, rather than still needing to be packed up. With that in mind, here are some things that a moving family should consider when looking at storage solutions:
● Does the storage solution provider offer packing services?
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- Professional moving companies that also provide storage solutions may deliver large crates/vaults to your home that either you can pack alone or with their assistance, and then take that crate/vault to their storage facility. That way, your belongings are move-ready when you are ready to move to your new home.
● Is the storage facility secure?
- Some storage facilities are located in remote or less-than-desirable locations with no on-site personnel. If your belongings are valuable, look for a facility that has personnel on-site, and has security measures in place that are not easily breached. If a gate requiring a code can be easily forced open without an alarm sounding or without anyone made aware of the break-in, it’s not very secure.
Is the storage facility protected from the elements? If all your belongings are sealed in water-tight containers, it may not matter – but if you have art or furniture that could be damaged by moisture, look for a facility that offers indoor indoor solutions.
This is a crowdsourced article. Contributors’ statements do not necessarily reflect the opinion of this website, other people, businesses, or other contributors.