Do I Need Self Storage When Moving House?

Moving home can be a hectic and stressful time – so preparing properly for the event is important! There are so many different things to consider in a house move – arranging amenities and facilities such as gas, electricity, water, and such, as well as the daunting task of the actual physical move itself!

Amongst all this there may be a requirement to move to temporary accommodation between vacating your existing home and moving into your new house – that brings up the problem of what to do with your furniture and valuables in that interim period – the simple answer is self-storage!

Here are some aspects of self-storage to consider:

Think about what items might be helpful to put in storage

The first thing to establish is exactly which items you want or need to store. If you are moving into temporary accommodation before your final house move, then you will need to retain some household items or furniture that you’ll require daily. Items such as clothing and, perhaps, computers or tablets and other essential items will need to be put to one side to accompany you in your temporary situation.

Identify which items you need and make a comprehensive list – this also acts as an effective checklist when leaving your current and, later, temporary accommodation to ensure these important items don’t go astray in the move!

Take a moment to declutter

Moving home is a stressful endeavour – but it does offer the opportunity to finally do that decluttering exercise of your stuff that you’ve been threatening to do for years! You have to move every single item you possess – but it is highly unlikely that every individual thing you own is going to be needed or wanted in your new home, so use your moving preparation to identify all those items that you no longer use nor need.

Make different piles of your items – those that it may be useful to donate to charity, some may be good for recycling, or simply those that need to be thrown away! Not only is this a useful exercise to dispose of unwanted items, but it will also be saving you on your removal and storage costs – why pay for the storage and transport of items you no longer need?

Decluttering your belongings will help to keep your storage costs to the essential minimum.

Source self-storage locally

Once you have correctly identified and sorted the items you will be taking to your new home you should source a reputable business to handle the removal and storage of your valuable possessions. A removal company will help you evaluate aspects such as the volume and amount of storage space you will require for your permanent storage along with the items you’ll require for any temporary accommodation.

Having established the storage space required, then you should investigate the storage company options in your area. There are plenty of options for household storage in London, so do your research and establish which of the available storage unit facilities best suits your needs – consider cost, access, and reputation before deciding.

Plan your packing process with consideration

The labour-intensive bit – packing! If you are undertaking all your own packing, then ensure you have equipped yourself with all the packing materials you need – consider wrapping, boxes, crates, padding and other relevant materials. Ensure the packing boxes you have are fit for purpose – consider which items are going to go into which boxes or crates and that the boxes are robust enough to hold whatever is inside them.

Always pack heavier, bulkier items on the bottom of the box and lighter objects on top. Ensure all your boxes are correctly and clearly labelled with the contents and, where possible, the rooms into which these items will go at the new house – this makes it not only easier to identify items but will also be a great aid in structured unpacking in your new home. Use labels to also identify any boxes that may contain fragile or more delicate items you need protecting.

If the whole packing exercise is too much for your to do yourself, then removal companies can offer a packing and unpacking service as part of their remit.

Be organised on the day of moving

If you are using a removal company then they will methodically load the boxes, crates etc onto their vehicles in an orderly fashion, recording each container and producing a full inventory of what they are taking. If items are going into storage, the removal company will unload in the same fashion and furnish you with a full list of precisely what is in storage and its’ location.

When it comes to removal from storage

When you are ready to move the items into your new home you can have a removal company move it all in one go, or you may choose to remove the boxes on a more casual basis yourself, perhaps a room at a time in order to better control the set-up in your new house, depending upon for how long you have secured the storage unit.

Sourcing self-storage near me in London is easy – use online searches and recommendations to identify appropriate self-storage facilities and it is always useful to speak with friends, relatives or work colleagues who may have moved house in recent times to get feedback and recommendations.

Choose Chelsea Self Storage

If you’ve got a lot of stuff and need somewhere to store it, look no further than Chelsea Storage! We offer convenient and secure self-storage space units for the public for as long or as short as you want it, at storage unit prices to suit all budgets. Call us today FREE on: 0808 1681310 to discuss your requirements or click here for a storage quote; and get your very own household storage in London today.