Do you need to declutter your home soon? Are you perhaps planning your big move to a different city? Or maybe you have an upcoming home renovation and you can’t afford to have your valuable possessions damaged during the construction?
In these and many other scenarios, renting a storage unit would be the best possible solution for your storage needs.
But choosing a storage unit also means carefully picking one from the best storage facilities around, meaning you’ll be asking some questions!
Why These Questions Matter
Not all storage facilities are equal. They all vary in terms of the storage unit types available, the locations covered, rent prices, security level, and a range of other aspects.
This is why it pays to compare and contrast the offers and services from different storage providers in your area. A search on self storage in Sacramento California with Self Storage Finders can be a good place to start if you’re looking for a facility in the Golden State’s capital.
But that’s not all!
To get the best experience from the storage unit you rent, here are six crucial questions you should ask the facility first.
1. What Storage Unit Sizes Do You Have?
Depending on your storage needs, you should ask the facility to provide you with a list of different sizes of storage units available. This will enable you to choose a storage facility that is most suited for your needs. Remember, what you pay for the storage unit will depend largely on the size you choose.
2. Do The Prices Include Insurance?
A good facility will include insurance for its storage units, which will help you protect the items stored there. This is why you should also ask about insurance and whether you can get a discount rate for the insurance plan.
For what it’s worth, you are likely to get a lower price for the insurance if you pay a monthly fee for the storage facility instead of a one-time fee.
3. What’s the Security Level?
When renting a storage unit, you want to know for sure that your belongings will be secure in it. The last thing you want is to receive a call where the person on the other end tells you that your storage unit was broken into.
As much as storage insurance can protect you in such instances, some items are too dear to lose, if at all they can be replaced!
Aim for a facility with a 24/7 security guard presence at the location, and ask the facility if they have a reliable surveillance system in place.
4. How Long Will You Need to Keep Your Items?
You may also want to ask the facility how long you should keep your items. This will help you determine how much you should pay.
Some storage facilities have monthly charges, while others charge per day. It is best to find out from the storage facility you are using, about their policy on durations of storage alongside their prices and how long their contracts run.
5. Do You Have Specific Hours For Access?
It can be quite intimidating to get blocked from accessing your belongings when you need them most, right? For this reason, it pays to ask about accessibility.
Seek to know if the storage facility is closed on certain weekends and on major holidays. Most facilities have a policy against storage during holidays or weekends.
6. Are There Additional Fees Apart From Rent?
While the costs of renting a storage facility may vary widely, storage facilities charge extra fees for a number of other services.
Apart from the monthly rental fee, they may charge for any additional storage space required or for the delivery of items to the facility.
They may also charge a yearly rent, a deposit, or a security deposit. Stay on the lookout for hidden fees, which may range from storage unit maintenance to monthly utility costs!
7. Do You Currently Have Discounts Or Special Deals?
You should also ask about the facility’s current discounts and special deals. For example, some storage facilities may offer a short-term discount for items being stored for more than a month.
Also, storage facilities run marketing campaigns from time to time, and these usually come with certain discounts on storage fees depending on factors like:
- Storage unit size
- The lease duration
- The number of storage units you rent
Conclusion
At this point, you should have a clear idea of what to look for when renting space or a unit from storage facilities. Having these key considerations in mind can help you rent the best unit for your needs from a reputable and dependable storage facility.
