THE SHORT ANSWER..
Most people moving house in south Bristol need storage for two to six weeks — the gap between the day they have to be out and the day they can get in. The gap is usually confirmed with under a fortnight’s notice. Ring for a price before you exchange, take the smallest unit that works, and keep one clearly labelled box of essentials in the car.
Nobody plans for the gap, you plan for the move.
You have a move date confirmed. You have a removals firm booked, a day off work, your mother-in-law on standby for the dog. Then a solicitor four rungs down the chain goes quiet for a week, and a date everybody had agreed on becomes a date nobody can commit to. Or the new-build that was ready in October becomes ready in December. Or your buyer needs an extra fortnight, and you have already given notice on the rental.
Suddenly you are out of one home and not into the next, with the contents of a three-bedroom house and nowhere to put it.
This happens constantly. It is not a sign that anything has gone wrong with your move. It is the most ordinary thing in the world, and it has an ordinary answer. What follows is how to handle it without paying for a decision you made in a hurry.
What a house move chain gap actually is
A chain gap is the period between the day you legally have to leave your current home and the day you can move into the next one. It happens when the two completion dates in a property chain do not fall on the same day — which is common, because every party in the chain has to agree on one date and any one of them can move it.
The gap can be a weekend. It can be three months. Most often it is two to six weeks.
Knowing the shape of the problem before you are inside it matters, because every decision that costs people money in a move is made under time pressure.
Six ways a south Bristol move slips
Moves break in different places. These are the ones we see most around Hengrove, Whitchurch, Stockwood and Knowle.
1. The chain moves underneath you
The classic. Someone at the far end has a survey issue, a mortgage delay or a solicitor on annual leave, and the date shifts for everyone. You usually get one to two weeks’ notice, which is not long enough to arrange anything calmly.
2. A new-build completion date moves
Completion dates on new homes are estimates until the building is signed off, and estimates move. If you have sold on a fixed date and are waiting on a build, plan for a gap rather than hope there isn’t one. There is more on this below — south Bristol has a great deal of new housing coming forward.
3. Your rental notice and your purchase don’t meet
You have to give notice on a rented property before you know your completion date. Give it too early and you have a gap. Give it too late and you are paying for two homes at once. Most people choose the gap, because it is cheaper — and it is the right call, as long as you have somewhere for your things.
4. You are downsizing
Moving from a family house into a two-bedroom flat or a bungalow means a period where you own more than you have room for. The mistake is deciding what to keep in the middle of a move, under pressure, in a skip-or-save panic. Storing the overflow and deciding calmly over a few months is usually kinder, and cheaper than replacing what you regret giving away.
5. You are clearing a family home
After a bereavement, a house often has to be emptied before probate completes or before it can be marketed. Nobody should be making decisions about a parent’s furniture in a single afternoon because a skip is booked. A unit turns that afternoon into a few months.
6. You are separating
Two households forming out of one, usually at speed, often with one person needing somewhere for their things before they have somewhere to live. It is the least discussed reason for storage and one of the most common.
| The thread running through all six Every one of these decisions is made by someone under time pressure who has never rented a storage unit before. That is why the next four sections are about what things actually cost and what you actually need — not about us. |
How long you will need it
Two to six weeks covers most chain gaps. Downsizing and probate clearances run longer — three to six months is normal.
The number worth knowing: across the UK, the average self storage tenancy runs at around eight months, while most people book expecting six to eight weeks. Almost everyone stays longer than they planned.
That is not an argument for booking longer. It is an argument for booking somewhere on a weekly rolling contract, where staying on costs you nothing in penalties and leaving early costs you nothing either. If you are asked to commit to a fixed term for a house move, ask why, and listen carefully to the answer.
What it costs
Here is the part most storage websites make you hunt for.
As a guide, 25 sq ft — roughly the contents of a one-bedroom flat — runs at around £25 per week before any opening offer. Price scales roughly with size, and most people need less than they think.
What matters more than the headline figure is what sits underneath it. When you ring anywhere, including us, ask these four things:
- Is contents protection included, arranged for me, or entirely my problem?
- Are there administration or padlock fees that appear at signing?
- What notice do I give when I leave, and is any of my first payment refundable?
- If my dates change and I need a different size, what does that cost me?
A quoted price that turns out to exclude cover and a joining fee is not a cheaper price. It is the same price with worse manners.
What size you actually need
Almost everyone over-estimates. Furniture stacks higher than people picture, and a unit you can comfortably walk around inside is a unit you are paying too much for.
| Unit size | Roughly holds | Typical use |
| 25 sq ft | The contents of a one-bedroom flat | A short chain gap, or one room’s overflow |
| 75 sq ft | The contents of a three-bedroom home | A full family move, or a downsize |
| 100 sq ft + | A four-bedroom home, or a full clearance | Probate, long gaps, larger moves |
Tell whoever you ring what you are actually storing — “a three-bed house, but the sofas are going” — rather than asking for a size. Anyone who knows their building will talk you down a size when you do not need one. If the first question you are asked is how many square feet you want, you are talking to someone selling you a box rather than solving your move.
What to store, and what to keep with you
The most common regret is putting something into storage and needing it three days later. Split everything into two piles before the van arrives.
Goes into storage
- Furniture from rooms you will not need for weeks — spare beds, dining sets, wardrobes
- Books, records, photo albums — heavy, sentimental, and not needed next Tuesday
- Out-of-season clothing and sports kit
- Garden furniture, tools, bikes, the barbecue
- Loft and garage contents — the largest volume in most houses and the easiest to move early
- Anything you are undecided about keeping. Storage is a reasonable place to postpone a decision you should not be rushing
Stays with you
- Passports, birth certificates, mortgage and conveyancing paperwork
- Medication, prescriptions, anything medical
- Two weeks of clothing per person, including one smart outfit
- Chargers, laptops, the router, and the box of cables you will otherwise buy twice
- School uniform, work uniform, PE kit
- Kettle, mugs, tea, a knife, a chopping board — the first-night box
- Anything a child or a pet will look for on the first night
One more thing, and it costs nothing: load the unit with what you are most likely to need at the front. Everyone packs the winter coats first and then wants them in November.
What we will ask you when you ring
Most storage companies ask how much space you want and when you want it. We ask something else first, and it is worth knowing why.
We will ask what is going on. Not to be nosy, because the answer changes the advice. Someone in a two-week chain gap needs a different unit, a different contract and a different bit of guidance from someone clearing their mother’s house, even if the boxes look identical on the day. If we know which one you are, we can tell you that you need less space than you think, or that ground floor will save you an afternoon, or that three months is more realistic than three weeks.
You will also get a person. Not a menu, not a callback promise, not a form. Our customers tend to mention this by name, which is the part we are proudest of:
| “Lenny made organising storage an easy simple process” Google review · Wigwam Self Storage |
| “going above and beyond to assist” Google review · Wigwam Self Storage |
SWAP BEFORE PUBLISHING Replace both with Bristol reviews once the site has been open a month, and name the Bristol team member here. Reviews from other sites do honest work before opening, but a Hengrove customer naming a Hengrove colleague is worth considerably more.
Brad’s review opens by saying it was a stressful time for his family. That is the situation most people are in when they ring a storage company, and it is the situation the whole business is organised around.
A four-week run-up
If you can see a gap coming, this is the order that keeps it calm.
- Four weeks out — ring two storage sites and get an all-in price including cover and any fees. Do not book yet. Ask what notice you give when you leave.
- Three weeks out — clear the loft and garage. Largest volume, least disruption, and it can go into storage now.
- Two weeks out — book. Sizes go first at the end of the month, because that is when completions cluster. Confirm access hours, van access, and whether someone will be on site the day you arrive.
- One week out — pack the two piles separately, label storage boxes by room rather than by contents, and photograph the unit once it is loaded. You will be surprised how often you look at that photo.
- Moving day — first-night box in the car, not the van.
If you are moving to Hengrove Park
Hengrove Park is the largest thing happening in south Bristol housing. Built on the former Whitchurch airfield, it will ultimately deliver 1,435 homes alongside a new 54-acre park, community and sports facilities, shops and a school, phased over roughly a decade by Goram Homes and Vistry. Early phases are already complete and occupied; more are being released steadily.
If you have bought there, or are thinking about it, four things are worth knowing before you plan your move.
Treat the completion date as provisional
A new home has a target date, not a fixed one, until it is signed off. Builders are not being evasive about this — it is simply how construction works. If you are selling a home on a fixed date to move into one that is not, assume a few weeks of gap and be pleased if there is none. It is far cheaper to plan for a gap you do not need than to arrange storage in four days.
Measure before you decide what comes with you
New homes are efficiently designed, which is a polite way of saying the storage space is smaller than the house you are leaving. Lofts are often unboarded, garages are frequently not included, and wardrobes are built to a standard depth. Take the room dimensions to your current home and check the furniture you assume is coming. The wardrobe, the dining table and the corner sofa are the usual three that do not fit.
Move in stages, not in one day
This is the single most useful thing about having a storage unit two minutes away rather than across the city. You can move the loft and garage in September, the spare room in October, and the things you live with on the day itself. A move split into three manageable trips is a completely different experience from a move compressed into one exhausting one.
Keep the overflow until you know the house
Give it three months before deciding what to let go. People who clear ruthlessly on moving week reliably regret two or three things. People who keep the overflow nearby for a season make better decisions and spend less replacing what they binned.
Our Bristol site is on Roman Farm Road, off Hengrove Way — a few minutes from the development, and reachable without going near the city centre.
Where to find us
Wigwam Self Storage opens on Roman Farm Road, Hengrove, Bristol BS4 1UP on 12 October 2026, serving Hengrove, Whitchurch, Stockwood, Knowle, Hartcliffe and Withywood.
It is a trade estate address, which is worth knowing before you set off. Our guide to what the drive actually costs you has the directions in full, along with the questions worth asking any storage company in south Bristol — including us.
Frequently asked questions
How long can I store furniture between exchange and completion?
As long as you need. Most chain gaps run two to six weeks, but there is no term you have to commit to beyond the first week and no maximum. Choose a weekly rolling contract so that a moving date changing again costs you nothing.
How much does storage cost for a house move in Bristol?
It depends on size and how long you stay. As a guide, 25 sq ft — the contents of a one-bedroom flat — runs at around £17.50 a week before any offer. Ask for the all-in figure including contents protection and any fees before you compare anywhere against anywhere else.
What size storage unit do I need for a three-bedroom house?
Around 75 sq ft for a full three-bedroom house. Less if larger furniture is being sold or given away. Describe what you are storing rather than asking for a size and you will usually be talked down one.
When should I book storage for a house move?
About two weeks before you need it, and earlier if your move lands at the end of a month — completions cluster around month end and the popular sizes go first. Ring for a price well before that, so you know the number before you are under pressure.
What if my completion date changes again?
Ring and tell us. You can extend, shorten or change unit size. We would rather move you into a smaller unit than have you pay for space you have stopped using.
Can I get a removals van in?
Yes. There is a dedicated loading area with room to turn and access for vans of all heights. If a removals firm is delivering, give them the Roman Farm Road address and tell them it is off Hengrove Way.
Is my furniture covered while it is in storage?
Contents protection is arranged when you take the unit. Ask any storage company whether cover is included, arranged for you, or left entirely to you — the answers differ between operators and it changes the real cost.
Is there storage near Hengrove Park?
Yes. Our Bristol site on Roman Farm Road is a few minutes from the Hengrove Park development, off Hengrove Way, which makes moving in over several trips rather than one day straightforward.
Do I need to know my dates before I ring?
No. Most people ring without final dates, which is exactly the right time to ring. We can put a plan in place and firm it up when your dates land.
Before your dates are fixed, have the conversation
The people who find a moving gap manageable are almost never the ones who organised it best on the day. They are the ones who made one phone call three weeks earlier, found out what a unit costs and what size they would need, and then got on with the move knowing there was an answer if they needed it.
That call takes five minutes and commits you to nothing.
Call us on 0117 462 8800 and tell us what is going on with your move. We will tell you what size you need, what it costs all in, and whether you need us at all — some people ring and we tell them honestly that they don’t.
We open on Roman Farm Road on 12 October 2026, and you are welcome to look round from the day we do.
