Googling “self storage” for the first time throws up a dozen pages that all sound the same. Here are the five questions people actually ask, not five a template would guess at, checked against the Self Storage Association UK’s own FAQ and the questions people search for most, then answered in Wigwam’s own published terms, not a guessed list.
Just want a price? Jump straight to get a quote. Not sure what size you need? Jump to question two. Worried about safety, insurance or access hours? Jump to questions four and five.
| # | The generic assumption | Wigwam’s actual, verified answer |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | It’s a flat monthly fee | Depends on unit size, location and term, get a real number via a quote |
| Size | Guess and round up | Rough anchors below, or use the size guide or call the team |
| What you can store | Anything that fits | No vehicles in ordinary units (car and motorbike storage is a separate service at Chipping Norton), no caravans or motorhomes, no perishables, plants, flammables, firearms, chemicals or illegal goods |
| Security and insurance | It’s covered under my home insurance | Home policies typically exclude storage, Wigwam requires contents protection |
| Access hours | 24/7, like the big chains claim | 6am to 10pm, seven days a week, unlimited access within that window |
How Much Does Self Storage Cost?
Price depends on unit size, location and term length, there’s no single flat rate.
Rather than guessing a headline figure that won’t match your actual move, Wigwam gives you a real number once you know roughly what you’re storing. That’s a deliberate choice, not a dodge, a flat “from £X” line on a page like this one is usually the first number that turns out to be wrong once you actually book. Payment itself runs by card or Direct Debit, on a four-weekly cycle, no cash or cheques.
What Size Storage Unit Do I Need?
A few boxes needs far less space than most people assume, and a full house move needs more than a “small room” suggests.
Rough anchors: a handful of boxes and small furniture fits comfortably in a modest unit, a one-bedroom flat’s worth of belongings needs a mid-size unit, and a full house move needs considerably more. For a precise figure, call the team or use our room-by-room size guide rather than guessing. If you’re near Wigwam Self Storage Bath or Reading, either team can talk you through it. Our dedicated size guides cover the room-by-room detail if you want the itemised version.
What Can and Can’t I Store?
Most household and business items are fine. Caravans and motorhomes aren’t stored, and vehicles aren’t stored in ordinary units; car and motorbike storage is a separate service at Chipping Norton. Our personal storage page explains how units work for household belongings.
| Fine to store | Not permitted |
|---|---|
| Furniture, boxes, business stock | Caravans, motorhomes, trailers; cars and motorbikes in an ordinary unit |
| Books, clothing, sporting equipment | Perishable food, plants, animals |
| Sealed appliances | Flammable materials, firearms, chemicals, toxic waste |
| Documents, archives | Illegal goods, currency, deeds |
| Lithium-ion battery devices, within limits | Portable heaters, unrestricted battery chargers |
There are limits within the “fine to store” side too, not everything there is unconditional. Certain lithium-ion battery items are capped rather than banned outright, and portable heaters and unrestricted battery chargers aren’t allowed at all, worth knowing if you’re clearing a garage or workshop rather than a bedroom.
Living in a storage unit isn’t permitted either, that one comes up more than you’d think.
Know your items are fine to store? Get a real quote.
How Secure Is It, and Is My Stuff Insured?
Contents protection is mandatory for every customer, and home insurance typically doesn’t cover a storage unit, that’s the correction worth knowing before you assume otherwise.
Only you have access to your unit, and you control who else has permission to access it on your behalf. Units are individually alarmed too, so a breach at one door doesn’t quietly go unnoticed because it’s not yours.
| What’s covered | What isn’t |
|---|---|
| New-for-Old basis under Wigwam’s RSA-backed policy | Atmospheric or climatic damage, real claim is clean, dry and secure, not climate control |
| Theft, once there’s been forced entry | Theft without forced entry |
| Full replacement value, if declared accurately | Under-declared value, settlement is proportional |
| 14 days to prove your own equivalent cover instead | Cover beyond that 14-day window without proof |
Wigwam’s own cover is the RSA “Self Storage Customers’ Goods” scheme, which is where the New-for-Old basis and the forced-entry condition on theft actually come from, it isn’t a generic add-on policy. This describes Wigwam’s own contents-protection policy, not a substitute for reading your own licence agreement in full. Our storage access, insurance and sizing guide covers the mistakes first-timers make here in more depth.
What Are the Access Hours, and How Do I Get In?
Access runs 6am to 10pm, seven days a week, and hours may vary slightly by location.
You get in with smart entry on your phone; if you don’t carry a smartphone, ask us before you book what will work for you. Chipping Norton is the exception: it uses a PIN code.
The minimum term is two weeks. To leave, you give 14 days’ notice, and any days you’ve already paid for beyond that are refunded once the notice period ends, one coherent policy, not three separate small-print surprises you find out about at different times.
Two patterns come up more than any other when a storage page gets this wrong: someone assumes round-the-clock access and turns up at 11pm to a closed gate, or someone assumes their home contents policy already covers a unit and finds out otherwise only when they need to claim. Both are avoidable simply by reading the real terms first, which is the whole point of answering these five honestly rather than vaguely. If you are comparing operators, what makes Wigwam different sets out a checklist to run against anyone, including us.
Now you know the five real answers, in Wigwam’s own terms. Get a real number for your own move, or see our full FAQ for the longer, booking-focused version.
Frequently Asked Questions
We’re not currently taking deposits. When you leave, you give 14 days’ notice.
Yes, within the same 6am to 10pm window as every other day.
Not with smart entry, which opens your unit from your phone. At Chipping Norton, you use your own padlock on your unit. Either way, you control who else has access.
