Advice on Self Storage for house move

[welshtrekker]

I may be moving to Nottingham from Leeds later this year and have a crap load of stuff to move. Cant really ask mates and checked removal services, they want far too much. And anyway, I cant move all my stuff in right away as I am looking at homes likely to need work before moving, my price range.
I looked into self-storage as I read about it off a google search.
Looks a good option, self storage units to contain my stuff - a lot.
Have looked at a few firms but anyone used them.
Not entirely sure the move will happen yet but be good to plan ahead in case.

 

[zimone]

I am not really sure there is much to say about self storage companies, they do what they say they do, for a set weekly fee you can store your belongings for as long as you need to. I guess the only things you have to take into consideration are the length of time you intend to store your stuff and the associated costs, the security of your belongings i.e. make sure you visit the self storage places beforehand to check out the security arrangements, do they have cctv that sort of thing.

Wish you all the best with the move and hopefully after you have used self storage services you will have an update on your experiences for other users of the forum in the future.

 

[Chris34]

There's not a lot to it really, they do what they say they do, no hidden surprises. They have all the equipment you need to lift heavy items from your vehicle to your unit. The units are secure and unlikely to be broken into as they are inside huge buildings that are divided up into little units, so even if the main building got broken into then they would have to single out your unit out of hundreds of them while the alarm is going off, it's unlikely and you are insured anyway (it's part of the deal, usually £1 per £1,000 of cover per week, don't over insure though, It's rare any claims are ever made, if there is it's usually flood claims). They have metal walls with a metal door that has a padlock (supplied by you).

You are the main type of customer that they target so everything is set up to cater for you. They also love hoarders and will actively encourage it ; )

To get a cheap price then find out all the storage companies within a 5 mile radius of where you want to store. Then ring one of them up and go down and have a look at a few of the units to get a feel of what they are like and what size you think you need. Then walk away and ring them all up and play them against each other until they say they can't go any lower on the price.

They all tend to offer a price match guarantee, they don't tend to barter a price on the spot which is quite annoying, so play them at their own game and phone around until you get the lowest price. Look at paying around 40% less than their original quoted price. So if they quote you £100 per week then you should be able to get that down to around £60.

Other than that there isn't much else to say. Just make sure you stack everything as high as you can, you pay for the floor space not the ceiling height so the higher you stack the items the less floor space you need meaning that the price will be cheaper.


Chris.

 

[LeeKnowles]

Agree with the above! Certainly the safer option, And probably an incentive to get work done quicker!

The longer it's there, the more you shell out!

 

[welshtrekker]

Thanks for the advice. I looked at those points: CCTV, stacking high and oh yea, security. Googled a few of those around self storage to see what's what.
Be useful if anyone could comment on these ones I am bookmarking for a later date:
magentastorage.co.uk
safestore.co.uk

These look good, one has storage areas in Nottingham. Will try that price match way, certainly want to keep the cost down. Certainly want to poke around the units first, check for damp, bad security, etc.

 

[vvaannmmaann]

Agree with above.However prior to any move could you thin out the stuff to store/move?

 

[Chris34]

Safestore are fine, they are very well established and are a very big company, I use them and have been with them for over 3 years now. It will depend more on your local area but they are a pretty decent company to work with, no hidden surprises.

There is not a lot that can go wrong with storing your goods at storage companies. They are all very similar in what they offer.

One thing you have to watch for is how long they will match a competitors price for. In the quotes that they give you if you read the small print then it says that matched quotes are only valid for 6 months, after that the price reverts to their normal price.

Also be aware that all of them will try and put your prices up if you are staying for longer than 6 months. It's how they operate. Their must be a book out their that they have all read that tells you how to run a storage company as they all use the same rules ; )

These are big corporate companies that you are dealing with here so there isn't the small business to business loyalty. For better prices then you would be better trying to seek out the independents that only run 1 or 2 stores, they will always want to better prices.

Vanman's suggestion will save you money as well. What you have to do is look at that box full of crap and say to yourself 'is it worth paying £20 per week to store this box of crap'. It might even be good 'crap' but you still have to ask yourself if it's worth it. Usually only things of high value or sentimental value are actually worth storing, the rest it you would be better of giving away or even taking to the tip and then buying brand new when you get your new place.

Remember, they love hoarders who store crap, don't be one of them ; )


Chris.

 

[MOIC]

Points to consider.

Location close to where you will live.

Opening hours of the storage.

Contract length and deposit requirements.

Facilities, ground floor, sufficient trolleys, lighting in the units.

Parking and access.

You should also consider container storage, they are usually cheaper as well as cruder, but may suit your requirements.