As the days become cooler and the nights draw in, we’re reminded that autumn is fast approaching and it’s back to school for many children.
With the holidays over, it’s the perfect time to get the home organised again. For some, that may include placing seasonal or bulkier items into self storage in preparation for the winter.
If you have used self storage before, you probably won’t need any convincing about its many benefits to home organisation.
If you’re thinking about household self storage, please read on because there’s so much more to it than first meets the eye.
What Sort of Items Can Be Stored Away?
From kids’ paddling pools and outdoor games that won’t be used, to garden furniture, tools, and equipment, the list of items that can be safely housed away for the winter is extensive.
It’s especially useful for those households who may not have a garage or garden shed, or even those who do, but want to free up more space. This can especially be the case if dad decides he wants to reclaim his ‘man cave’, aka the garden shed!
Of course, it’s not just garden equipment and toys that self storage can be used for. It can provide a safe haven for storing all manner of household items that aren’t required on a regular basis. Furniture, bicycles, clothing, suitcases, seasonal sports equipment, tools, electrical equipment, and gadgets are just a few popular items that people use household self storage for.
University and college students who live away in rented accommodation find self storage useful too. This is especially true during the long summer break.
Many students will have accumulated quite a selection of paraphernalia. Their parental homes simply don’t have or indeed want the space for it, even on a temporary basis.
There may be bikes and sports equipment that are only used during term time to think about too. That all adds up to quite a lot of clutter, so student storage can be beneficial during the term breaks. Some self storage companies offer specialist services for student storage.
Why Use Self Storage?
Space (or lack of it) is the obvious answer and indeed the primary driver for many domestic self storage users. This is closely followed by using storage as a stopgap between a house move. But the other (possibly not quite so obvious fact) surrounds security and having a safe environment to protect stored items from theft and deterioration.
Self storage units are more secure than the average garage or shed. What’s more, many are also temperature and humidity-controlled to provide the best conditions for storing items that might otherwise be prone to damage. Garages and garden sheds can very often become damp, especially in cooler winter months.
Self storage facilities have lockable units to which users hold their own key. Reputable self storage facilities have 24-hour CCTV surveillance. Intruder and smoke alarms are usually linked directly to the emergency services.
When you take this into account, storing your belongings offsite with a trusted service provider can often be a ‘belt and braces’ approach to safeguarding your possessions.
Remember, it’s generally preferable to use a local self storage facility that’s less than half an hour away. This makes it practical to access your things should you need them.
How Many People Use Self Storage?
There are currently more than 2,000 self storage facilities in the UK. This equates to an astonishing 45 million square feet of storage space. And self storage is becoming extremely popular in the UK in particular which represents nearly half of the European self storage market.
The growth in the self storage industry can be attributed to many things. Smaller homes, a more transient population and a greater increase in awareness as more people reap the benefits of offsite storage are significant factors. The popularity of Storage Wars on the TV has also helped!
Whilst occupancy growth is currently outstripping supply, there’s still a long way to go. The UK has less than 0.7 square feet (sqft) of storage space per head of population. This falls far short of more mature markets like the USA which has over 7sqft and Australia which has around 2sqft per person of space.
How Long Can You Store For?
The simple answer to that is as long or as short amount of time as you need to. Self storage is a very flexible service. At Extra Room Self Storage, many of our customers find our facilities and services so useful they decide to extend for a longer period than originally envisaged.
It’s similar to having an extra garage or room in the house to store goods. With access available 365 days a year.
In some cases, it means that our customers don’t have to go to the expense or hassle of extending their properties or making the move to a larger home. For others, it can make downsizing the home a feasible proposition. A win, win situation all round!
Who To Go To?
While there are large national operators in the self storage sector, there are also privately owned and managed self storage providers. Extra Room Self Storage is a family-run business that’s fast expanding due to demand, amongst other locations, for home and business storage in Tamworth and secure storage in Hinckley.
We provide a personal, friendly, professional service from the point of enquiry right up until the day you decide to leave. Helpful, experienced staff can offer you best advice when deciding on the size of storage unit you require. Alternatively, you can view our handy storage calculator and request a quote online.
Extra Room Self Storage is a member of the UK Self Storage Association, which means we adhere to a strict code of practice. Our self storage units are exceptionally clean and secure. We also offer a range of supporting services (such as transportation and boxes and packaging materials) to make storing with us simple and straightforward.
Who to call?
If you want to know more, please call 0800 232 1631 any time between 8.30am and 8.30pm, 7 days a week. You can also click here for an online storage quote or better still just visit us, no appointment necessary.