Guide to Self Storage
and how to save £100’s of pounds using
The Five Golden Rules
We have written this guide and are sending it to you absolutely free of charge because – you guessed it – we believe that if you are in possession of all the facts you will understand why Admiral’s Yard Self Storage is probably the best choice for you – assuming that we have one of our storage facilities in your area.
Now established for over twenty years, we have served and gained the loyalty of thousands of customers who are themselves the best advert for our business – some have been with us for years, some just a few months and many we know well use us again and again – we must be doing something right!
In this guide you will find details of :
- How to negotiate for a self storage unit : 5 Golden Rules
- Self Storage facilities in your area (Bristol, Leeds and Slough) – including our competitors!
- How to get the most for your money
- How to avoid the notorious and costly “loading bay blues”
- Facts about flashy showrooms and overpriced insurance and packing materials
- General information about self storage and how it works – especially useful if you have not used self storage before or were dissatisfied with your previous experience
- Advice on how to best to store your goods to ensure that you make the best use of the space available in your self storage unit
- How to work out the amount of space you will need
How To Get The Most For Your Money
The fact is that most of the time when people start using self storage, they find it so good that they rent their unit for longer than they expected to. This means that when you make your initial choice of which company to use, you need to remember that your total cost of storage might be more than you expect – price is therefore very very important. Make sure that unless you already know the company, get more than one price.
- Is the quoted price for a full month or just for 28 days and what about VAT?
- Ask about discounts for paying in advance or discounts for annual contracts
- Don’t just rely on price match promises, check them out, if they are offering price match, their price is too high to start with
- Ask about the cost of insurance and whether or not it is compulsory. It should be compulsory for private individuals.
- Ask what floor the unit is on – you need to make sure that it is easy to access
FACT:
The 2018 industry survey by the Self Storage Association found that average unit prices in the UK regions are consistently 45% higher than prices at Admirals Yard.
Avoid the Loading Bay Blues
FACT:
If you are using a professional removal company they will probably be charging a minimum of £45 per hour. Loading an average 80 sq ft self storage unit via a loading bay – unloading the van, filling a trolley, probably using a lift and then a walk to your own unit can take up to 2 hrs – that’s a minimum of £90 and that assumes that trolleys are available and that the lifts are not busy, under maintenance or even worse out of action.
At Admiral’s Yard Self Storage you can unload your van directly into your own unit in a maximum of 30 minutes and usually a lot less.
Avoid Flashy Showrooms and Overpriced Boxes and Packing Materials
Everyone who has even vaguely considered using self storage will have noticed the large number of expensive looking self storage buildings which have sprung up in our towns and cities over the last few years. It does not take much thought to realise that these companies are backed by big business and making huge profits from your pockets.
FACT:
Some companies make a very substantial part of their profits from selling cardboard boxes and packaging materials at hugely inflated prices
At Admiral’s Yard Self Storage we recognise that packaging materials can be very useful and although we advise customers to try to source their boxes free from supermarkets or electronics retailers, we try to keep the cost of our materials to a minimum as a service to our customers.
How to Negotiate for a Self Storage Unit
The Five Golden Rules
RULE 1
If a company is reluctant or slow to tell you their price on the phone, forget it, it will be too high
RULE 2
Always get more than one price and always go to see the unit you are interested in before committing yourself – never pay a reservation fee
RULE 3
Decide how long you are likely to need the storage for and calculate the total cost of storage (and insurance) over that whole period
RULE 4
If you are being offered a first month free or first two months at half price, don’t forget that most people stay longer than they expect. This is precisely why these deals are offered. Once you have rented the unit, even if it is highly overpriced you will find it difficult to move to somewhere cheaper
RULE 5
Work out what size of unit you need and get comparable prices for that size of unit. Companies will often quote for units which are too small for your needs and you only find out when it is too late to go elsewhere
How Self Storage Works
Self storage is an easy way for people to store their belongings in a clean and secure environment. It can normally be taken either long term or short term dependant on your needs. Many people use self storage for a variety of reasons. Some people want to simply reduce the amount of clutter at home; others might be moving house and can’t take all their belongings, while other people might use the storage as part of their business needs. The number of applications for self storage is extensive. The customer is normally responsible for moving in and locking their own unit. In general you will supply your own padlock and keep all the keys. This way only you will have access to the unit. Access to your belongings will vary from company to company with some offering 24/7 access.
Size guide
Size Guides
View more information on what sizes we offer.
Space Calculator
Find out what size storage you need using our storage space calculator
Contact Admiral's Yard today
For more information regarding our self storage services then please Contact Us. Call one of our advisors today to see how we can offer you a competitive price.
