The use of self storage units didn’t really begin in the UK until the 1980s, a couple of decades after their appearance in the US, but now they are a common feature of our cities and towns and probably most us have used a self-storage unit at one time or another. Or if we haven’t then we certainly will at some point in our lives.
There are some who would argue that if we don’t have space for something in our own home then we should simply get rid of it. There are certainly benefits to de-cluttering (having a clutter-free, organised home can definitely make for a calmer, less stressful life) but sometimes there are things that we don’t want in our homes, or don’t have space for, that are not technically “clutter”. This could be family heirlooms, treasured pieces of furniture just waiting until we can move to a bigger home. It could be a hobby collection of pretty much anything that there is no longer room for in the home as our families grow, not to mention seasonal items like lawnmowers, snowboards or Christmas decorations.
And, of course many users of self-storage are the small or micro businesses that have proliferated since online trading became so easy and so much a part of our retail landscape. Businesses can now be successfully run without an actual store and even without the cost, commitment or hassle of investing in warehouse space. Self storage offers short, usually monthly contracts with no long-term tie-ins, with the added advantage of increasing or decreasing the space required easily and quickly to help further keep stock storage costs down.
There is certainly plenty of choice when it comes to finding a facility that suits our needs; small, large, basic shipping container or climate –controlled space is all there for the taking. There are spaces to suit individual consumers and small to medium sized businesses.
So there are various reasons why consumers and businesses need to use self storage and it’s popularity looks set to continue; just some of the reasons are:
- Moving home to another part of the country before selling your own home
- Re-locating overseas and letting out your home in the UK
- Down-sizing but want to keep some possessions for your children
- Starting up a small business that needs somewhere convenient and cheap to store stock
- Running a cottage industry that has outgrown your cottage
- Being an Ebay or Amazon seller and needing extra space for seasonal stock
More people are aware of the benefits of having some extra storage space that allows us to keep items that would otherwise be cluttering up our homes. Indeed the small size of new homes in the UK makes it almost essential to maintain a small self storage unit for out of season items like garden equipment and furniture, camping equipment, winter sports equipment etc. Some people even use them to store seasonal clothes, precious book collection, wine collections and even classic sports cars and motorbikes. Whatever someone needs to store there is bound to be a storage unit that can accommodate it.