Storage, for the awkward gap.
Two dates that will not line up is one of the most common and most stressful parts of moving. Storage is what stops it becoming a crisis — and it works best planned in rather than arranged in a panic.
The usual story is simple and infuriating. The sale completes on one date and the purchase does not complete until another, and in between you have a houseful of belongings and nowhere to be. It happens constantly and it is nobody's fault.
The second most common reason is a renovation that is not finished. A house bought to be worked on cannot take furniture until the floors are down, and the work always runs longer than the plan said.
How containerised storage works
Your things are loaded into containers at your property — not tipped onto open shelving in a shared warehouse — inventoried as they go in, sealed, and stored. When you are ready the same containers come back out, and we deliver and unload them.
- Loaded by us, so nothing is handled twice
- Inventoried in and out, so there is no guesswork
- Sealed containers rather than open racking
- Arranged as part of the move on a single booking
- Delivered back and unloaded into the new property
Before things go in
A little preparation makes a real difference over weeks and months. Soft furnishings want covering. Wooden furniture wants wrapping rather than sitting bare against something else. Anything with liquid in it should be emptied, and anything perishable obviously should not go in at all.
And think about what you will want during the gap — documents, seasonal clothes, a child's particular toy. Those are much easier kept with you than retrieved from the middle of a sealed container.
When self storage is the better answer
If you want somewhere you can drive to and rummage through at will, this is the wrong product and a self-storage unit is the right one. We will tell you that rather than take the booking — plenty of people come asking for one and actually need the other.
Booking it
Tell us roughly how much and roughly for how long. Ask earlier than feels necessary: holding space is straightforward, finding it at short notice at the end of a month is not.
Storage is usually arranged alongside a house move, but we will store without one if that is what you need.
Storage questions
How is this different from a self-storage unit?
Self storage is a room you rent and load yourself, and visit whenever you like. This is storage as part of a move: we load it, inventory it, store it and bring it back out. If what you actually want is somewhere to pop in on a Sunday, a self-storage facility is the better product and we will say so.
How long can things stay?
As long as you need. Most storage in a chain situation is short; some runs for months while a renovation finishes. Charges accrue per storage period and are payable in advance, with the specifics in your booking contract.
Can we get something out mid-way?
With notice, yes. Containers are stacked and sealed, so retrieving an item means bringing yours down — it is not designed for casual access. If you expect to need things regularly, tell us at the outset and we will pack and place accordingly, or point you at self storage.
Will our furniture be alright in there?
Generally yes, with the usual caveats — wooden furniture and soft furnishings dislike damp and large swings in temperature more than they dislike time. Tell us what is going in and we will advise on wrapping, and on anything better kept with you.
Is everything listed?
In and out. That is the whole point of doing it this way rather than piling things into a lock-up: you know what went in, and you can check what comes back.
Need storage between dates?
Roughly how much, and roughly how long. Ask early — space is much easier to hold than to find.