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There are any number of reasons why you might be thinking about using self-storage: you might have sold your home and be moving temporarily into furnished rented accommodation, you may run a small business and have spare stock or seasonal stock that is taking up valuable office or retail space, you may be building your dream home and living in a mobile one in the meantime. Whatever the reason it is worth understanding some of the basics of self-storage so you can make the right decision on what type is best for you or your business. Self-storage is, in it’s simplest form, just renting some space and moving your possessions in, then having easy access to take them all, or some of them, out as needed.
But just what are the main types of space available?
We all know that moving house is a stressful event, whether you are moving from a 1-bedroom apartment or a 5-bedroom family home but that stress can be minimised by choosing a reliable, efficient removals firm. They can pack your boxes for you, if you prefer, to protect your valuables and breakables and will know how to get that large wardrobe up the awkward stairs. It is important to get a few quotes as all companies vary in price and the service they offer so you need to compare both of these to see what fits with your budget. The cheapest may not necessarily be the best if the service is lower so make sure you know what you will be getting for the price. One of the best ways to find a good removals company (and avoid the bad ones) is by personal recommendation from friends or family. But what else should you look out for when selecting a removals company?
Beware of Short-Term Special Offers:
I’m sure you’ve seen the special offers available from some self-storage companies with a huge discount on the first month, or sometimes a month free, or 6 months for the price of 3, but it’s important to work out the total cost over the whole period you expect to be renting the storage unit, particularly if this is going to be 6 months or more. Also take into account when calculating costs any extras provided such as free collection – this can save you the cost of hiring a van as well as the time and effort to transport your possessions to the storage facility.
Many headline grabbing rates have hidden costs or work out significantly more expensive when the rental cost reverts to the standard rate. Check the minimum sign-up period, minimum size of self-storage unit and the terms and conditions so that you know exactly what you will be paying over the whole storage period. Also look for companies like storing.com that have a fixed price for 5 years so will not increase their charges over this term once you are renting one of their storage units. In the long run these sorts of deals can work out significantly cheaper than the “50% off” deals.
Compare Insurance Deals For Self-Storage Unit Contents: People choose to store all sorts of possessions in a self-storage unit and often they do not have much, if any, monetary value; sometimes they are items of purely sentimental value that we can’t bear to part with but don’t have room for in our homes. Of course, people also store highly valuable items in self-storage such as classic cars, family heirlooms or business stock, and when a family temporarily relocates overseas they may store the whole contents of their home. So whether items have only sentimental value, have a high individual value or the sheer quantity of belongings makes the total value high you should think carefully about what type of insurance to take out while the items are being stored. In the event of theft, fire or damage from another cause such as flooding you will want to be sure that you are adequately compensated. There is nothing worse after the upset of losing your possessions to find you cannot replace them with something similar. So do make sure you check the insurance options available both from the self-storage provider and by checking independently.
Don’t Store Your Clutter:
If you are thinking about renting a self-storage unit you are probably a bit of a hoarder; that’s fine, so am I, and I like to keep all those things that I might have a use for one day. I see it as my own personal recycling effort. Why spend money on something new when I could re-use something I already have? Many of us also like to keep things we have inherited or been given as a present but we might not necessarily want them on show in our home. So self-storage is a great idea for people like us, but if you want to keep your costs to a minimum then just make sure you are storing items that you genuinely want to keep and not clutter or rubbish. In fact, what is the difference between clutter and rubbish? Very little…
Large self-storage units are, obviously more expensive than smaller ones so it makes sense to clear out as much clutter as you can first. After all, what’s the point of paying to store rubbish? So sort through all your belongings first and try to sell what you can either through free ads in your local paper or on Ebay. If you have enough stuff you could even do a car boot sale. Anything you can’t sell can be given to charity or recycled or, as a last resort, thrown away.
So remember, a great money saving tip for your self-storage costs is to only store the things you really want to keep so that you can rent the smallest unit possible. Simple really…
One of the most important aspects of packing valuable or fragile belongings is using the right sort of packing boxes; no amount of careful packing will protect your items if the boxes are too flimsy so make sure you use sturdy boxes. Also get plenty of bubble wrap, paper, packing tape and marker pens to label the boxes. Now you are set to follow our top tips on how to pack your stuff so that it arrives at your new home in good condition.
You might think that self-storage is pretty much the same whatever company you choose and the only differentiator is price. After all every self-storage container, unit or room is fairly standard and they all offer the same amount and type of space. Surely that is all that a facility needs to provide – standard storage space at a good price. To a certain extent this is true but if you have ever had to store your belongings before you will know that there are extras that can make the whole process quicker, easier, more pleasant and, of course, more secure.
There are the basic items you would expect at any facility such as packing boxes, bubble wrap, tape etc. and maybe a padlock if you don’t have your own but what else could make a difference?
Clutter is a consequence of the modern, consumerist lifestyle that we lead. Impulse purchases, a feeling of emotion towards our belongings and a general sense of ‘need’ can lead to hoarding on all sorts of scales, making us uncomfortable in our own homes. Getting rid of our clutter, or at the very least storing it away, can help to balance our minds and refresh our living space, as well as making our homes a lot easier to keep clean and tidy.
Clutter has a way of sneaking up on us. The decluttering process is based on five classic organising principles. Understand these principles and you can declutter your home, your office, or even your garage easily.
Whether you are buying your first home, buying a bigger or smaller property or renting a new place, the fact of the matter (and one of the highest hurdles to jump) is that we need to get all our belongings from where they are now to somewhere else. This can be an expensive process, and with the cost of vehicle fuel always on the rise, the price isn’t going to come down in the near future. If you are on a tight budget and need to bring the cost of moving down as low as possible, here are some questions you should be asking yourself to make sure you’re not wasting your cash.
When you’ve moved house, arriving at your new home and turning the key for the first time is a moment of pure excitement. As you step over the threshold, your first instinct will undoubtedly be to run round the house, checking out all the rooms and generally revelling in your new family abode. But before you get too over excited, there are a few things you really should do to make sure you and your family are safe, protected and ready to start off on the right foot.
There are plenty of guides out there describing what you should do when you are involved in a home move, but what about the things you should never do? There are plenty of things that can lead to a minor (or even major) disaster, so have a look at our top 6 things you should never do when moving house.
Moving house yourself, or with a bunch of your friends, is certainly budget friendly, and kind of cute in a student sort of way. But when you’ve graduated from a single room in a student house to a three bed semi complete with kids and cats, it can sometimes be advisable to bite the bullet and get the professionals in.
Choosing the cheapest mover around can sometimes be a bit of a false economy. Less experienced or sloppy removal companies may well take longer and cause more damage than seasoned professionals, but to get one of the big name companies in, you do need to be prepared to pay more. To help you keep the cost down when going for a top end removal company, here are some handy pieces of advice that can help you move with the best, for less.
Whether you are moving your entire home, a few items into a self storage unit or moving all or part of your business into new premises, getting the right removal company for your needs is an essential component to ensuring the success of your move. Read on for some top tips for finding the perfect removal company for your needs, however large or small.
A recent article in the Evening Standard by Lucy Tobin notes that self-storage companies have had to charge VAT on their prices since October 1. However, the article does not mention that many of the smaller self storage companies have always included VAT in their prices and so have not had to hike their prices as some of the larger companies have done since last month when VAT became obligatory.
When you are busy packing to move house take a break for a few minutes and watch this funny video clip. All about how we only move house because we need more room for our “stuff” and how the whole self-storage industry has grown up because we can’t bear to part with our “stuff”. Very funny…
Making the decision to buy your own home is one of the biggest decisions you will ever make, a decision made tougher by the current economic climate in the UK and internationally. But looking on the bright side, property prices are, at best, stagnating
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