What do people use self storage for? Do you auction off the contents of units when people don’t pay? Is it like Storage Hunters (on TV)?
A couple of questions we get asked regularly when people find out the business we’re in. Let’s address the second 2 first as they’re quite quick and easy to answer.
The laws in the UK are quite different to those in America which means that auctioning off unit contents is rarely done, and no, it’s not really like the TV programmes!
The first question is not so quick to answer as there are so many reasons for people using self storage. At our centres in Stroud, Gloucester and Bristol we have all sizes of units so we have all sorts of clients.
- Students storing their things over the summer break
- People who need to store the whole contents of their house
- People who are renovating or extending and need to clear a room
- Business document storage
- Stock storage for traders
- Equipment and tool storage
Many traders and start up businesses now find it more cost effective to set up an office in their home and use storage facilities for their equipment or stock.
Why do they use us? Because we have well maintained, clean secure, dry units that are good value for money. We don’t ask for long term commitments and we are completely transparent with no hidden extras. The price we quote you is the price you get, guaranteed for 12 months from the day you sign.
At our Stroud office we gave some thought to the most common questions we get asked or the most common problems we come across and decided to put together some tips to help.
How much will a unit cost?
This is, of course, dependent upon what or how much you’re storing. Take a look at what you think you’ll need to store and how it could be packed. That will help determine the size of unit you need, and ultimately the price
How big a unit will I need?
A common question, especially when people are storing their home contents. It’s hard to envisage what your 3 bedroomed house will look like all packed up into boxes and stacked together, but that’s what you need to do when working out the size of unit you’ll need. If you have a home packed full of things, you’ll need more space than someone who lives very minimally in a property of the same size. If you’re not sure, tell us the sort of furniture and belongings you have in your rooms and we can help with an idea of the size of unit normally needed.
If storing long term, you may well want to have a bit of a sort out and get rid of some of the things you know you won’t need further down the line.
Insurance
We don’t get asked very often about insurance cover for belongings, but we always tell our clients about the standard cover that comes with our units; £3000 per unit. Why is this important? Well, if you’re storing your whole home contents, or something of high financial value, you may need extra cover – you existing policies may not cover you if your belongings are away from your home. You need to check. We can help arrange additional insurance if you need it, but we don’t insist you use us, you may prefer to use your existing insurance providers.
Household Appliances
There’s nothing worse than taking care to box and wrap things and stack furniture carefully, only to have water leak out from appliances and damage the boxes and their contents or your furniture.
People know they need to defrost freezers and empty refrigerators before storing but some don’t do it soon enough. To make sure they’re completely dry of any moisture, ideally this needs to be done a few days before. If not, make sure they’re accessible in your unit so you can come in daily to check or place them on something absorbent to mop up any drips.
When it comes to washing machines, the hoses need to be disconnected and completely drained – water does get retained in the kinks. It’s difficult to do that quickly on the morning of your move. Consider disconnecting and draining the hoses at least a day before your move.
And always remember to store you appliances with the door left open. This keeps air circulating and reduces the possibility of mould (especially if you’re not quite sure you’ve got every bit of moisture out).
Top 2 Tips from the Stroud Staff
- Don’t underestimate the importance of packing
Not only does it prevent damage but it can have a big impact on the amount of space you need. If you’ve got your belongings or stock packed into various shapes and sizes of box or container, some with lids some without, it’s harder to pack your unit and make the best use of space. - Don’t pay for space you don’t need
Phrased many ways by our staff, ‘don’t pay for air’, ‘pack properly to save space’ ‘don’t pay for what you don’t need’ – all saying the same thing. Consider what you’re storing and how you’ll pack it. Consider where and how you need access (especially if storing stock) to get the maximum use of space in a unit and only pay for what you need.
Talking about these tips Lucinda Dangerfield, director at Space Centre Self Storage said “Our staff are here to help. We want you to get the most from your unit and don’t want you to pay more than you need. If you need help or advice about how you should pack to get the best from your space, we are more than happy to help. If you’re a business or trader and need access to your stock or equipment, you may not be sure of the best way to set your unit up. Give us a call. We can show you the various sized units and discuss the best way to set them up to allow you to run your business effectively”
Space Centre Self Storage have facilities in Stroud, Gloucester and North Bristol. We have internal and external units, that are clean, dry and secure. If you need storage, short or long term, why not give us a call?
We’ll be sharing more tips from our staff in future posts. Do you have any great tips to add?