The units themselves are the same, and so are the terms: a business and a household rent the same secure spaces, billed every four weeks, with access normally from 6am to 10pm, seven days a week. The difference is in how you use the space, and in a few practical details a business will want to plan for.
Same units, same security
Whether you’re storing a sofa or a season’s stock, your unit sits behind access-controlled doors, has its own alarm, and is on a site watched by CCTV, monitored around the clock by a professional monitoring company. You choose the size you need, and you can move to a bigger or smaller unit later if one is free. If your business only trades part of the year, see renting a unit just for your trading season.
What’s different for a business
Working from your stock
If you sell online, you can pick and pack your own orders at your unit. Freestanding shelving and a folding table make a simple set-up. The unit is used for storage, though, so it can’t be an office, a shop or a workshop. Our guide to packing orders in your unit shows what works well.
Deliveries
We can’t sign for or receive deliveries on your behalf, so book suppliers for a time when you or a colleague will be there to meet them. If a pallet is coming, ask the haulier for a tail-lift, and call us to check whether there’s a pallet truck at your site. Free trolleys are available at every site.
Staff access
With smart entry, you can share access with colleagues from your phone, for a set period or with no end date. At Chipping Norton, which uses padlocks, you share keys and access codes instead.
Your address
A unit can’t be used as your business or mailing address, so keep your registered office and returns address elsewhere. Our guide to business addresses suggests some good options.
Cover for stock
Everything stored needs cover, through our contents protection or your own business insurance. Declare what it would cost to replace your stock today, and keep the figure up to date as your stock grows.
Paperwork
We email an invoice 5 to 7 days before each four-weekly payment. If you need your invoices to show VAT, call us before you book and we’ll confirm what they’ll show. For business rates, see our guide to rates on a storage unit.
What’s the same for everyone
The same list of things that can’t be stored applies to every customer, which is what keeps everyone’s belongings safe. For a business, that mostly means flammable stock such as aerosols, so check our list of items we can’t store before you move stock in.
To find the right size for your business, see our business storage page, get a price online, or call us on 0800 2545585.
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