3 questions to ask before renting a self-storage unit
People put items in self-storage for a wide variety of reasons. But two tend to top all others: cleaning and moving. Whether you’re doing a sweep of your house to minimize clutter or packing everything up for a big move, you’ve probably realized that you have more possessions than you know what to do with. Self-storage can be a great answer for this conundrum. But before you settle on a solution, here are 3 questions to ask before renting a self-storage unit.
There are a number of questions to ask yourself before renting a self-storage unit.
- Will this be done professionally or DIY?
The answer to this question will likely depend on how much time you have and the number of items going into storage. Most professional moving companies will pack your belongings, load the trucks, deliver them to the storage facility, and unload them into your unit. If you’re moving to a new house, these companies will also pick the items up from the unit and move them into your new abode. Many moving companies have preferred storage facilities they can recommend, while some even have their own units.
Those opting for the DIY route will need to do some research to find a storage facility that meets all the requirements. When it comes time to physically move the belongings, many customers decide to rent a truck and recruit friends and family to help out. While it can be a lot of work and requires some organization, you’ll be in full control and at peace knowing exactly where everything is in your unit.
- Will we be storing art or collectibles?
Art and other collectibles often require a particular temperature and humidity level for proper protection. If these are among the items you’ll be storing, find out whether storage facilities in your area offer climate control, including humidity. If they don’t, it’s best to look into specialized storage options for these belongings.
- Will we need to access these belongings frequently?
Some customers simply deliver their items to the storage facility and come back when they’re ready to move them out, while others need fairly regular access to them. The category you fall into will dictate how much planning needs to go in to storing your belongings.
If there’s a chance that you’ll need to take items out of storage temporarily, be sure to store them near the front of the unit in an easily accessible place. The last thing you want is to have to tear your unit apart to locate a buried item that you need.
One more thing to consider
Cost is always a factor. In general, storage unit prices will be based on the amount you are storing. Someone storing the contents of a 3-bedroom house will require much more space than someone tucking away a handful of important keepsakes.
Want to reduce your self-storage costs? Go through your items and discard anything you no longer need. Be brutally honest. If it no longer serves you and has no sentimental value, donate it, recycle it, or pitch it. Time spent clearing out extra clutter will save you money and stress in the long run.
I like that you mentioned that art needs to be stored in a climate controlled unit. I hadn’t thought of that, but it makes sense that you would want to make sure the art was protected from the elements. I am planning on storing a lot of my stuff while I move this year, and I have some art I will be storing. I will look for climate control as I search for a unit.
Thanks for your tip to think to abut what kind of things you are storing in certain types of weather and other conditions. I like how you said that you should choose a facility that you can go to often if you need to retrieve some items. My husband and I are considering using a storage unit to keep some of our things as we prepare to move to a new house.
My husband and I are in need of a storage unit to keep some of our old family paintings in and we’re wondering what to look for. So thanks for suggesting that we find a facility that has humidity and temperature controls since these art needs to be kept in a certain climate. I will definitely start looking for a storage unit that allows for climate control so that our paintings are kept at a prime temperature.
I was thinking of moving a number of our stuff to a self-storage facility as they are clogging our home already. Your advice to place the ones that are going to be frequently be needed in front to have an easier access to it is something I would surely do. That said, I’ll have to assess our items on which ones are most probably to be used over the others. Finding a storage facility will come after I’m done sorting them out properly. Thanks!