Storage – why do it in the first place, and what to look out for?
There are several reasons for considering off-site storage, top of the list being:
- moving house, and you need a temporary but secure (and accessible) place to store your household belongings
- “de-cluttering” – you haven’t the heart to throw all that stuff in the loft or blocking up the back of cupboards away, but you want to reclaim the space … or perhaps you’re selling your house and want to show it off in its best light!
- home business – you could be selling (or buying) on eBay frequently and need somewhere to keep your goods, or running a small business from home and you need more space to store your products, or perhaps you’ve written a book and need somewhere to store all the printed copies that you hope people will buy one day (fingers crossed!) …
- home from travels or university, and you need somewhere to store everything
Whatever your reason, self storage can be a practical, pragmatic and affordable solution. If you’ve never done it before, however, you may feel a little bit apprehensive. Top of the list will be “will my stuff be safe?” closely followed by “what will it cost?” and “what if I don’t know how long I need to leave my stuff there?” along with a host of similar concerns.
So to help you out we’ve prepared a simple check-list for you to run through if you’re considering self storage. Here goes:
- Security. Visit the site and check it out. Ask about anti-theft precautions (e.g. alarms, CCTV, BT Redcare, strength of partitions, who else has keys etc.)
- Integrity. It’s one thing if your items are safe from theft – but what about from fire or flooding or damp or for that matter excess heat (chance would be a fine thing!). How are the storage units sealed and protected from the outside world and the elements?
- Location. This is important, obviously, and all the more so if you need regular or frequent access. You don’t want to drive half-way across London, through all that traffic, if you can help it! You want the entire drop-off/collect process to be quick and convenient
- Accessibility. How easy is it to access your items, whether it’s something you’ve suddenly realised you need (perhaps it was packed accidentally) or things you need on a regular basis (for example, you run an EBAY business from home)?
- Terms & Conditions. Do you only pay for the space that you actually need? What sort of commitment do you need to give i.e. is there a minimum period? (If so, what if you don’t know? What’s the notice period to get your stuff out? How flexible are they? Are there any hidden costs?
- Value for money. The bottom line. How much will it cost, and do you think that’s a fair price?
- Customer service. How good is it? Do they have any reference customers you can talk to? Will they help you and give you advice (for example with boxes or the names of recommended removal firms)? Do they seem friendly, helpful, and competent?
These questions should do for starters. If you get acceptable answers to all of the above questions, then you’ve probably found the right supplier. If you live in or near Fulham/Victoria/Battersea/Kensington/Chelsea then you’ve definitely found the right supplier!
About Chelsea Self Storage
Here at Chelsea Self Storage we’ve been providing flexible and cost-effective self and personal storage – as well as business storage – for over thirty years now.
We are conveniently located a short walk from the Kings Road in Fulham, and have satisfied clients right across London who can testify to our capability and customer service.
Our flexible approach means that you can access your items from their secure storage units whenever you need them.
If you’re interested in how we can help you, please call us anytime on
0808 168 1310 (Freephone) or 0207 351 6800
Alternatively, click on the following link to go straight to our page on personal storage:
alternatively here for our home page, or here if you want to contact us on-line.
We’ll be absolutely delighted to help you.
