Self Storage units!!

[willitbe]

Hi there.

Just about to delve into some research on self storage units, basically I want to find out a few things and wondered if anyone could help me with a few answers.

Firstly, does anybody on here use them, either for business or personal reasons?

What do you pay and do you have to use them for a minimum period?

What space do you get for your money?

Are they manned, or do you get a key/code type entrance?

Any help to the above questions will greatly received.

Many thanks Will.

 

[Beachcomber]

I used to have a unit a while back.

Costs depend on location as well as size but I had one approx 4m sq for about £60.00 per month.

You provide your own lock / padlock so you are the only keyholder and the depot is manned 24/7 along with cctv although customers could only access the place during opening hours (about 8:00 - 8:00 7 days a week iirc)

Terms were pretty flexable being able to vacate without notice but if you sign up for a termed period you may get a discount.

Depending on security required it would be cheaper to find a garage for rent locally.

 

[coxdabd]

I used to have a unit a while back.

Costs depend on location as well as size but I had one approx 4m sq for about £60.00 per month.

You provide your own lock / padlock so you are the only keyholder and the depot is manned 24/7 along with cctv although customers could only access the place during opening hours (about 8:00 - 8:00 7 days a week iirc)

Terms were pretty flexable being able to vacate without notice but if you sign up for a termed period you may get a discount.

Depending on security required it would be cheaper to find a garage for rent locally.

I agree with Beachcomber. I have been looking at self-storage units. The prices I was quoted are very similar to those of Beachcomber. The one's I have looked at are twenty-hour hours with a digital keypad gated entrance. Secure with CCTV, etc.

Best of luck with finding suitable storage.

 

[Beachcomber]

Heard about this site a while back - might offer a cheap alternative?
http://www.spareground.co.uk/

 

[familydayout]

Most important thing when looking for self storage is to use the company that meets your needs, otherwise you will end up paying for services you don't need.

Where i live, London storage prices vary greatly from company to company, but i only needed to store my stuff and forget about it. I didn't need 24hr access so i went for a smaller more localised company and saved some cash.

 

[leemason]

We used to have a storage unit in Hanworth just outside London. We had 24 hour access via an entry code system and a key lock on the storage room door. They had CCTV 24 hours but the site was manned between about 08:00 and 18:00 Mon-Fri. I seem to remember it costing about £90.00 per month (I don't think there was a minimum period other than 1 month) for a fairy large storage unit (large enough for a 3 bed house contents).

When we stored there were two places we looked at (the only two at the time within reasonable travelling distance - in 2000) but now their are loads of new places (must be about 8 within a reasonable radius). The market has really exploded for self storage in the last 8 years or so.

 

[chrisbarnes86]

I used to use one for business.

1000sq ft cost £800 a month but had to sign for 12 months. I think it was £1100 otherwise. That was a full height warehouse unit off the loading bay so convenient for us. It had 24 hour access, apart from when the shutter would cock up and it couldn't be left open so they stopped 24 hour access until it was fixed which at times was a few days. Manned 0800 to 1800 mon-fri but less hours on weekends.

Usually though you can move out with a weeks notice if not in contract.

 

[MikeJ]

We've got space at Safestore at present, while we're rennovating the house.

They wanted to sell us a padlock, to be sure that nobody else had keys, but as we'd already bought one we argued it out with them and they backed down.

We got a deal with them with Tesco vouchers, if you've got any of those lying around.

http://www.tesco.com/clubcard/deals/browse.aspx?N=4294966217+4294965735

Don't think there's a minimum rental with them, but they do a half price deal on the first 12 weeks and a free van hire (well they did for us).

http://www.safestore.co.uk/

 

[alexlowe]

I used to use 25ft shipping container in a yard for £100 a month about 5 or 6 years ago. I had 24 hr access but if I went out of hours I had to unlock the gates etc and was a pain. They had cameras up but i'm not sure if they worked. At the time you could buy one of those containers for about £1000-£1500 depending on the condition. If the condition is good they are dry and free from damp. Just search 'shipping container' or something similar. This place had loads of them and they did alright but I heard non payment can be a problem. This was in the south but there was a place in the midlands that was half the price but the containers were a bit beaten up. We used to use 40ft containers up there, it was like a little village loads of different businesses all using it for storage.

 

[Barretts-Selfstorage]

Hi will,

We are a Self Storage company based in Oxfordshire, just next to the M40. We have a range of customers which use our units both for personal and business use. We also offer external storage for caravans, motorhomes, cars, coaches and boats etc

We offer a range of units starting at £1. We have 6ft, 8ft, 10ft, 20ft, 40ft units all available which are clean, dry and damp proof. We are open 8.30am till 5pm Monday to Friday and Saturday mornings 9am till 12. We can also offer 24hr access if needed. We have 24hr CCTV and security barriers.

If you would like any further information please dont hesitate to contact me.

Adam

 

[cafe-central]

I use to store with Alligator storage for 250 sq ft for £75 per week inclu. insurance before switching to Access Self Storage (250 sq ft) for £288 per month including insurance.

Both were 24 hour access, 1 with key code and fob key entrance, other with padlock. Both had pumptrucks, trolleys and forklifts available to help you.

Just a tip, watch out for insurance and whether its pay weekly or monthly as it can make a big difference.

Most are doing deals at the moment like buy 1 month, get 1 month free, etc

 

[DoolallyTap]

Hi there.

Just about to delve into some research on self storage units, basically I want to find out a few things and wondered if anyone could help me with a few answers.

WHY?

 

[japancool]

He's probably found the answer to his questions in the 13 years since he posted it.

 

[TCH]

watch out for insurance and whether its pay weekly or monthly as it can make a big difference.

a quote from the website of a self-storage place near me

"We will not allow a customer to store goods that are not insured at all times"

that is, they insist on being a sales agent for an insurance company

the usual wording would be something like 'unfortunately we are unable'

but leaving the arrogance aside

is there a storage facility that will agree to my simply signing a waiver - we are talking about risks like fire and theft?

it is in any case likely that their terms and conditions - admittedly I haven't checked - have a get-out clause