What do I need to know about storage units?

[Meckity1]

I've been looking around, but I don't seem to be finding out what I wonder about and I'm not sure what I don't know. I wondered if anyone would be kind enough to share their experiences and the things that they wished they had known.

It's kind of complicated (I think I am about one dropped teaspoon away from complete mental collapse), but roughly I would want a biggish one to store household bits and small furniture from an eight roomed house (four beds, livingroom, study, dining room, kitchen, bathroom) and also a little one for some personal stuff.

Should I get dehumidifiers? Is shelving available? How private are these places? Would it be possible to get proper movers to take stuff to a storage unit or would I have to work that out myself?

Any and all suggestions welcome.

Beware of bedbugs, ask about fumigation.

The ones I've been in have been empty shells - basically rooms made with metal walls (v v cold!) and not even lighting altho there were sockets in the corridor you could use.

As my colleague said, "This would be a great set for a slasher movie" as he abandoned me whilst he went to purchase a lamp and a heater...

Check the insurance arrangements - what if all your worldly goods went up in flames?

I'm sure professional movers would take your stuff there. All they'd care about is access.

No plants, no animals, no onsite trading.

Professional movers happily took our stuff to a storage unit for us and packed it all in. We were provided with shelving for free and there was a light that came on when the door was opened. They are blinking freezing inside even in the height of summer.

Thank you. I suppose I need to ask each storage place I'm checking out as I go.

@DisplayPurposesOnly I hadn't thought about insurance. Thank you!

I am a hoarder and desperately overwhelmed, and need the house cleared. I think once I have got rid of a load of stuff, I can ask movers for their quotes.

@AdaColeman That is a terrifying thought. Would they be in the unit and attach to stuff? What do bedbugs live on if it isn't us? I'm not up to googling right at the moment.

I know of two households that have picked up bedbugs following having items in storage. I think they go into a sort of hibernation and live in cracks and crevices, then are disturbed and transferred.

it's something to ask the storage company about their policy.

On a lighter note, to cheer you up a bit, have you read Allan Bennett's story, "The clothes they stood up in"?

@AdaColeman I itch at the thought! I'll definitely ask.

They're very expensive. Like cheaper to rent an entire property expensive.

And the Stuff would still be somewhere, weighing on your mind; is it all safe? Are there bedbugs? Are there cockroaches? Is the unit going to burn to the ground? Will the insurance cover everything? Have I listed every last thing for the insurance, valued it correctly, what if I've forgotten something?

It could be far more freeing to dispose of everything and start fresh - no popping back for one thing and returning with 5 huge boxes of stuff, either.

Watch the costs. I had two when moving house. Over three months, the cost really mounted

I think Mitzi is right, getting a storage unit will increase your problems in the long run. You are already talking about getting two units, what will you do when they are full up?

Better to sell large items like furniture. What about getting a local auction house around to view and give you an estimate of what they could sell for you? Or donate to a charity that restores furniture perhaps?

One you've made some space, it will be easier to see some light.

The house needs rewiring, so I need to clear out a lot of stuff. A load is going to be disposed of or donated (already started) and the plan is to get out as much as possible, get the house re-wired, redecorated (hasn't been done in 20 years), new bathroom (desperately needed as stuff getting to the end of functional life) and new carpets (newest carpet is 13 years old, the rest is at least 20 years) while we get something like an Airbnb (which is going to be one of the major costs).

Then the idea is that the stuff in the bigger one will all go back into the house, and we no longer need it. I am considering a small unit for some personal reasons, but I may not bother.

I also have a chance of a lifetime professionally, and I have a lot of deadlines for large amounts of work if I'm going to be able to take advantage of it, so I feel very pressured.

I am married and have a son, but this is all on me. All packing, all decisions, all research. This is non-negotiable.

I also have iffy joints, and I can't physically do as much as I would like. Doing my own decorating is completely beyond me. As the re-wiring is urgent, it makes a gap for the other stuff to be done. If I don't sort out decorating now, it will never be done. I've saved up and have some money aside, and after this I will need to save for a new kitchen.

I will probably be back on here loads looking for advice, as I am completely clueless and fairly isolated in RL. Also, I think the vipers are pretty sound when it comes to advice, and I have a lot of faith in their collective wisdom.

That's a massive project Meckity all the best with it!

@AdaColeman Thank you. Even without the chance of a lifetime career thing, I think I would sink as I'm not robust physically or mentally, but it's really a case of now or never.

I'm thinking positive!

We are putting our stuff in storage on friday as we have a gap between our sale and completing on our purchase. Storage in London for our 2 bed flat’s worth of stuff is £30 per week so not as expensive as you might think. Good luck with getting your house sorted :)

@Robs20 Thanks for the good wishes. I hope your move goes smoothly.

I've done a little costing, and while it's an expense I can do without, it could be worse. I'm in Leeds, and the prices look okay. I think I'll have to make some phone calls and ask about stuff like insurance and bedbugs and see what they say.

We took stuff to the storage unit ourselves but my mum used the same company a year later and they came and picked it all up for her. Neither of us got bedbugs

For the bigger stuff that doesn't have any sentimental value, I'd seriously consider getting rid rather than storing, especially if you don't strictly need all of it - you say there are 3 of you in a 4 bedroom house - how many beds, wardrobes etc do you have for example?

It could quite easily be the case that, once you've paid for a few months storage, plus the items to be moved to and from the storage unit, it will be cheaper to donate the existing items to charity and buy new ones when the house is ready to be furnished again.

I hope there's a good reason why the other adult can't help you with this and not just a matter of 'won't'.

Many of the bigger companies do a deal - get first month for £1 then extortion thereafter. Look carefully at the clauses and the dates you need to give notice by, and read the small print as to whether it is fixed price or they can increase. They're fine for short term but do not get sucked into keeping it for any length of time. My friend rented one for a few years and without fail it went up 10-20% a year, but the hassle was to move to another firm to get a cheap rate.

If it's stuff you do not use, I'd say get rid. it's cheaper.

I'm in the same boat as you Meckity. My MIL is not well and in hospital so while DH is dealing with her I'm in charge of organising a desperately needed rewire.
I've found a storage company that will come with a truck and pick up our stuff (Edinburgh) and take it away to the storage facility without me ever having to set foot in it. I think it's about £30 per week depending on the size of the unit we need.
Do you have time to do bits of clearing out or is your rewire imminent? I'm decluttering a bit at a time (rewire in early January) so that the packing up of what we do want to keep isn't too much work. I cleared out our entry hall and DS's bookshelves this weekend. It took me about an hour each so it wasn't too overwhelming. Think of this as a great opportunity for a reset in your house. I'm so excited at the thought of finally clearing out DH's cupboards that haven't been touched since I moved in 10 years ago!

@Ariela Thanks for the heads up, it's good to know

@BarbaraofSeville To be honest, there are only a few bits that have sentimental value. I may go around costing IKEA replacements and comparing storage prices.

@FoosBitch It has to be early February (I blame myself for dawdling) because of sons exams. I'm aiming for a tip run and charity shop run a minimum of once a week for each, but it feels so overwhelming, especially with the career opportunity. I'm sinking under both.

We've lived in this house for over twenty years. For some of those years we had my father living with us. I don't think I have had proper control of the house since around 2005.

Thanks for the ideas. I'm really grateful.

I should add, DH isn't sure that we will need to get stuff out, and is quite comfortable with the things we have, and isn't too hung up about the decorating. I would need to work stuff out and talk things over.

Contact some local removal companies. Many of them offer storage facilities and you may be surprised regarding the pricing. They're not likely to be as flexible about access (you'd probably need to pre-warn them so your unit is accessible), but they will be secure and insured.

Not read the thread but one local to me was flooded last week . Check what insurance you need to cover items many didn’t

We had one for years. The owner said we were the kind of clients they like - who put stuff in and then forget about it
We did return some stuff to our house but loads of it was just dumped, after paying to store it.
In your case I can see why you want one, but also get a skip first to reduce what you have.

@Pandaintheporridge That's really good advice. I had some furniture in storage for some months from my late mother, but I ended up not keeping the stuff.

It sounds odd, but I'm more likely to save the small stuff like the folding lap tables as they shouldn't take up too much room, shouldn't get damp or bedbugs and are incredibly useful. I have a huge desk that cost me £2.50 (two pounds and fifty pence) that I couldn't easily replace and there's a table that my great uncle made. Add a chair that belonged to my husband's great grandmother, and there isn't much more apart from knickknacks. The sofa is on its last legs, so is one of the beds, and none of the other stuff was particularly expensive.

I'll have to take some thinking time.

@Starlight456 I'm in West Yorkshire, so not in the front line, but I know that there are places that came close. I'll ask about insurance.

@UnfamousPoster Thank you. I hadn't thought of that. I can't see how we would need 24 hour access, I'll have to have a long think.