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There’s no shortage of reasons one might need a long-term storage facility. People who are moving abroad, but not forever, are often in need of a storage facility to put their household items. Large families often run out of space in their houses for seasonal items such as winter sports gear. Then some people own RVs, boats, a couple of extra cars and need long-term storage for such paraphernalia.
Whatever your reasons for long-term storage are, once you go to choose one, you’d be blown away by the number of options you have. Selecting a long-term storage space can be quite overwhelming with so many storage solutions near you.
To help you out, we are listing down 8-important factors to consider when shopping for a long-term storage unit:
This is one of the most important factors to consider. While looking at different storage facilities in your neighborhood, pay attention to each of their locations and their proximity to your house, especially if you expect to make lots of trips. Of course, this factor isn’t important if you are planning to move abroad and sell your house. In that case, you should see the proximity of the storage facility to the house of your relatives/friends/parents, or whoever you want to have access to your valuable items.
When searching for long-term storage space, make sure it facilitates you rather than you facilitating it. If the storage facility is for your work, make sure it operates around the same time and gives you access. Look for facilities that are the most convenient for you. It can cause you considerable problems if you go boating or road-tripping only during the weekends but your chosen storage facility operates on the weekdays. If you are unsure about your timings, we suggest opting for a facility that operates 24/7.
Many buyers overlook this part and face trouble later. Important things you need to consider regarding the payment plan is the kind of payment plan offered; weekly/monthly/yearly. You also need to consider the discounts available or if a one-month storage facility is given for free. You need to think about their cancellation policy, whether you can cancel it anytime you want, or would you be bound by a contract. These are key questions to consider before choosing the facility and need to work perfectly with your budget and ability to pay.
While you are just looking for a long-term storage facility, it’s no reason not to take full advantage of the amenities offered with them. Ask if the unit is climate-controlled? Is it located indoors or outdoors? Is the unit composed of wood or weather-resistant steel? These amenities ensure that your items remain protected from natural threats. Humidity and cold temperature tend to damage many items, the wood unit placed outdoors also poses a risk to your belongings. The best units are the ones placed indoors, made of weather-resistant steel, and are climate-controlled.
Storage units are in just as much danger of theft as any other place. Until of course, one of the amenities includes 24/7 monitoring services. Fortunately, most companies offer secure storage facilities, the real question to ask is, how secure? Some facilities hire guards to keep an eye on things, others go a step further and install cameras, then some facilities install alarm systems and have a foolproof locking mechanism, and a well-lit environment. Before you confirm a long-term storage facility, make sure to consider its security features.
Once you have made sure that the facility meets all your requirements, it’s time to confirm how truthful they are. And who could be more brutally honest about service than its past consumers? Do not confirm a facility until you have gone through its online reviews and ratings. Make sure to check out the feedback of the facility in your locality. Many times, a single brand offers different experiences in its different locations. The point of checking our ratings and reviews is to get an idea about the customer service of a facility. You can also reach out to friends and family who have already used the facility. Their feedback would be even more helpful than online ones.
You are going to be placing items worth a huge amount of money in the storage facility. And you cannot do so without insuring them. If you are short on time and can’t get your items insured from a third party, go for a facility that offers additional insurance options on its own. This feature will not only prevent you from making a huge mistake but also save you from all the back and forth with an insurance company. More importantly, your investment would be secure, even if your items aren’t.
Once you have taken into account all the amenities and features and payment plans, it’s time to get down to the main order of business, your storage items. Take a good look at your items and see what kind of space they would need. A few cardboard boxes would need an entirely different size of a storage unit than one needed for an RV or a vintage car.
If you are reading this, chances are, you are desperately looking for a long-term storage facility. If you are in New York City or planning to store your valuables there then we’ll save you the trouble and direct you to the Bin It Storage Facility in New York City. This storage facility keeps in mind the different priorities of its consumers and offers a variety of amenities and unparalleled customer service to be everyone’s first choice.