5 Things To Consider When Choosing A Self Storage Facility - 01/10/2014

Self-storage is a fantastic and affordable solution to the problem millions of people face - space, or the lack of it!

With mortgages harder to obtain and money always seeming to be a problem for many, simply going and upgrading to a bigger house or expanding the current property is often out of the question, which means when you have too many belongings but you don‘t really want to sell them, you end up with them crammed and packed into a house that is too small, which can lead to problems within the family and sometimes create big issues.

When considering using a self storage facility, you need to weigh up the costs involved and also make sure it is the right solution for you. Generally, most facilities offer options that cover most bases, but there are still things you should be thinking about when it comes to self-storage and we take a look at some of these below.

Kind Of Storage Need

You need to make sure that you get the right kind of storage, else you could end up with something that is unsuitable or not cost effective, which in both cases is just not going to be right for you or your belongings. Make sure you get an accurate idea of the size you are looking for, because if you rent something too big and do not fill it, then you are just losing money, and equally, going for something that is too small will just mean having to rent another container or not getting all of your things into storage. Once you have a list of items and the sizes of the things you are looking to store, then send this over to a couple of local self-storage firms and get them to quote and by giving them a rough idea of how long you will be using them for can often lead to extra discounts.

Location Of Facility

If you need to regular access to your stored belongings then going for a facility that is over an hour‘s drive away makes little sense. But, if you know that you will not need access and you can save a few pounds by storing with a firm outside of your location, then this, on the other hand, makes perfect sense. You need to really consider how local you need your self-storage facility to be, as if you can save money by thinking outside of your local area and you do not want to frequently visit, then this is worth looking into. Many of the more rural storage companies can offer bigger discounts because they do not have to pay the city centre overheads, so try to work out just how local it needs to be and then get some quotes.

Accessibility

It is important to consider how often and at what times you are likely to need to access your container, because this will potentially have some say in who you go with. Not every self-storage facility is open 24 / 7, so if this is something you are looking for, then you need to think about this when getting quotes. For most people, normal weekday access or access on demand will suffice, but there is nothing worse than urgently needing an item you have stored and not being able to access it until a few days later, so take this into consideration when choosing who you are going to use.

Facilities

For many, security and safety are the core factors when it comes to picking a suitable local self storage firm to store with, and to be honest, you probably would not want to choose a company without the basics in place anyway. Always make sure they have a decent level of security, including lockable access and cameras and also think about fire protection and insurances as well. You do not have to choose a facility that has more security than a prison, but you must make sure that the basic safety and security levels are taken care of for your own peace of mind, because you might only find out about any flaws when it is too late and your prized possessions are, well, no longer that prized anymore!

Special Offers

Everyone loves a special offer and you, as a potential self-storage consumer, should be no different, so it makes perfect sense to look at the self-storage firms that offer you something for storing with them. From the first month free through to long term discounts, most storage companies will have some kind of promotion running at any one time, and if the offer is suitable and applicable to you and it saves you some money or gives you something back, then it is worth getting a quote from them. Although this is not the be all and end all when it comes to who you go with, if you can get a little something for being a customer, then so you should!

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