It can work well, as long as you and the host agree the important things before anything moves in. A garage or spare room is part of someone’s home, so the questions that matter are who’s insured, when you can get in, how either of you ends it, and who else has a key.
Questions to ask first
- Is it insured? Ask your own insurer whether your contents cover reaches belongings kept at someone else’s property, and ask the host whether their policy covers anything of yours. Get the answers before you move in, not after something goes wrong.
- When can I get in? If the host needs to be home to let you in, ask how much warning they’d like, and whether evenings and weekends suit them.
- Is there a written agreement? It should say what you pay, how much notice either of you gives, and what happens if the host moves house or needs the room back.
- Who else can get in? Ask who holds keys, whether the door locks, and whether the space is shared with the household’s own things.
- Will it stay dry? Lift your things off the floor and use breathable covers rather than plastic bags, which can trap moisture and lead to mould.
It also helps to take photos of what goes in and keep a simple list, so any conversation about cover or damage later is easy.
How self storage compares
If you’d rather have those answers settled from day one, here’s how household storage works with us.
Every unit has its own alarm and lock, and only you, and the people you choose, can get in. If your alarm goes off while you’re not on site, our security team investigates. A professional monitoring company watches our CCTV around the clock, and there’s access control on the external doors.
You can come and go from 6am to 10pm, seven days a week, without arranging it with anyone. Everything stored needs cover, through our contents protection or your own policy, and ours starts the moment your things go into storage.
Our written agreement keeps things simple: a two-week minimum stay, then your storage carries on until you give notice, normally 14 days. New customers pay no deposit, and you’re billed every four weeks, with an invoice emailed 5 to 7 days before each payment. Our guide to self storage and lock-up garages compares the two in more detail.
When you compare prices, compare the whole picture: the size, the notice, and whether cover is included. To see what a unit near you costs, get a price online, or call us on 0800 2545585.
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