What is Moving Storage?

You may wonder why anyone moving home or business would require short-term storage facilities. After all, isn’t it just a matter of moving belongings from one place to another? Shouldn’t a person have done their homework regarding time and space before actually upping sticks? It may all seem like an unnecessary expense but in fact it rarely is.

There are a number of reasons why an individual or business would need to hire a space to store items, sometimes even for a long period of time. The reasons can include a lack of room at a new home, or the knowledge that the move to a new apartment will be short-term anyway – perhaps until the completion of a one-year contract - before an expected return. It may also be because of unforeseen problems with a lease or rental agreement, or perhaps a delay in paperwork that has forced some or most of the items to be held before it can be moved on. This is particularly possible with overseas moves, where red-tape can take months rather than days to sort through.

Sometimes not everything works according to the set timetable, and that is why the storage services offered by moving companies are in such demand, and why moving storage is recognised as a practical solution to a variety of moving problems.

There are, of course, a number of factors to consider before actually deciding on which moving storage company to entrust your belongings to. As well as knowing the company’s history and reputation, it is also important that the terms of the contract signed with the company is completely understood. Only when you are fully satisfied should you sign on the dotted line, and here are some factors that you should find out about before doing so.

Storage Capacity

One of the logical things to check out before anything else is whether the space being offered to you is actually big enough to store the items that you have earmarked for storage. Take a good look at the space for yourself; don’t just rely on being told. It’s not a good idea to cram things in since you may want to retrieve some items in the interim, so include the need for getting around the space in your floor plan too.

Quality of the Facility

Locking things in a big space behind a big door isn’t the only thing to think about. You also need to look at the quality of the facility that the moving storage company is offering you. It may seem silly to consider, but is the roof secure or will it leak during heavy rain. Are the walls secure or are there cracks stretching up or down them? Will the space flood if there is excessive rain? Also, is the space climate controlled where the temperature can be kept constant through hot or cold days?

Storage Insurance

With security and quality in question, you should also ask about the type of insurance that the facility has. For example, what recourse do you have should the storage space be broken into and items of yours stolen. Also, what if there is a freak flood in the area and your items are destroyed or damaged by water?

Facility Security

Lastly (and obviously) what kind of security can the moving storage company offer you? It’s nice to know that there will be a big lock on the door into your rented storage area but electronic locks may be preferred. Also, will there be night watchmen or guard dogs present, or a 24-hour patrol of the facility? If there is a fire, is there ample protection in the way of fire-proof doors or sprinklers? The bottom line is whether or not you feel your property will be safe.

The advantages of turning to moving storage services are clear, though the chief one is that responsibility for your belongings is not split between separate companies. Your movers can do everything from the packing to the storage to the delivery of your things. That way you have only one port of call in the case of an issue.

At Sage Moving & Storage, we have been looking after our clients’ things in storage for almost as long as we have been moving them. We know the best services to offer our clients from experience, so why not give us a call to find out more. Our customer service team is waiting to answer your question.