It enables you to have the ability to bulk purchase when necessary and at the same time secure the best purchase price available. You can archive records and store paperwork away without having to take up valuable office or warehouse space, but still having good access as and when needed.

Self storage being extremely flexible can offer immediate rental, providing a fast solution for an office move or reorganisation, with the option of increasing or decreasing the size of unit hired at anytime at your convenience, as each self storage facility has a variety of different size and shape units designed to suit different needs.

Most self storage facilities offer excellent access with one or even more industrial roller shutter doors, wide corridors and with some internal units with double door access allowing larger items of plant and equipment to be stored and manoeuvred. With such excellent access large shipments on pallets or palleted stock items can also be conveniently stored with ease.

Many commercial self storage companies offer a stock management service whereby they will accept any deliveries and place them directly into your chosen unit, and likewise can help with outward collections from your unit, releasing you from any time constraints waiting for items to be delivered or collected.Many Sale Executives are realising the benefits of using a self storage facility, keeping stock and promotional equipment in a central location. Once again utilising a stock management service, freeing their valuable time allowing them to promote and sell their goods unhindered and safe in the knowledge that they have unlimited access to their unit, dropping in anytime when passing by. Other benefits to the Sales Executive are keeping space at home or the business premises free from clutter, keeping their equipment and stock samples in a safe and secure place, removing the risk of damage or theft. Most self storage facilities offer CCTV, police monitored alarms, fire detection systems and monitored door entry access, and an insurance option may be included or additional to the rental charge.

Financial benefits of commercial self storage are not just restricted to time saving by using stock management, but also by removing the need to move or expand into larger business premises with all the expense and restrictions that are associated with it. The extra space created in the current business premises may be better utilised for more productive purposes rather than just storage. Very often discounts can be negotiated with the storage facility for long term rental adding to the savings available.

The web is an ideal tool to source your nearest storage facility, however it is recommended when choosing a storage company you select one that is a member of the Self Storage Association as they will be working with the latest license agreement and insurance. All Self Storage Association members are listed on their website, once on their website simply click on locate a store which will take you to the search page. You then have the option to search by company name i.e. Acme Self Store, or by location i.e. Self Storage in Lichfield or Self Storage Tamworth etc, for the nearest town, if unsuccessful widen your search i.e. Staffordshire for the nearest facilities in your county.

Self-storage units may seem to be a non-utilitarian option. However, when you look at it closely, you will realize the difference they can make to your life. Self-storage unit is the most convenient, secure and cost effective way of storing your belongings. It can be of great help when you move your home or need more space in your existing house. Though many people believe in trashing unwanted stuff, but when something has an emotional value, it is difficult to throw it away. For instance, a collection of photographs, or may be greeting cards or paintings etc. These things may not have monetary value, but they can be close to your heart. Lack of space is no reason to give up on such stuff.

A self-storage unit has multiple utilities. Apart from small articles, you can also store large furniture items in it. So if you have been thinking of renting your apartment and dont know what to do with the furniture, then it is good to lock it up in a self storage unit. Whats more? You can also park your car in a unit. Yes, this is true. Some self-storage units also offer car-parking facilities. Now, that you know how useful a unit can be, you would surely like to know how to choose the right storage facility.

How To Choose The Right Storage Facility?

Look for the below mentioned features while you select a storage unit.

* Customer service The support services of a unit should be round the clock. A 24 X 7 access would mean that you could access your stuff anytime. Moreover, polite and courteous staff is always a good sign.

* Transport facility Look for a unit that offers transport from your home to the location of storage facility. This way, the storage company will take care of packing the stuff and moving it. So you dont have to hire the services of packers and movers to take your stuff to the storage unit. Moreover, they also provide climate-controlled vehicles, so if you wish to store perishable items or delicate items like paintings on paper, stamp collection etc, it can be transported in special vehicles. Not just that, the storage unit is also climate controlled to avoid damage due to humidity or extreme cold.

* Security measures Look for safety and security measures of the storage units. After all, you dont want to lose your valuables. Keeping the entry restricted only for members, biometric systems or card systems is an ideal way of protecting the units from theft. Apart from that, alarm systems, fire protection, natural calamity protection etc are some other factors that should be considered before hiring a unit.

* Location This is a very important factor. A facility that is too far can be a headache; you will have to drive up to the place every time. Look for a facility that is close to your home or office.

* Charges A storage unit that is located centrally may charge higher fees, so research well and look for a facility that charges reasonably and offers quality services.

The utilities of a self storage unit are many. It is for you to make the best use of this facility.

We all need to store our belongings whether at home, the office or work and for a variety of reasons. The “stuff” we accumulate over time is never used continuously but the value we have invested in our possessions as well as the use of them when we need is extremely great. Storing possessions at our home or work is the first thing we all do until the time comes when we need something extra; there are any number of reasons for needing extra storage space; moving home, lack of space at home or work, specialist items that need extra care and security, new arrivals or simply looking to clear out the loft or garage to make things less cluttered.

Renting storage space is cheap and convenient with specialist security and on-site supervision as well as being able to access our belongings when we need to but without having creating a mess at home or work.
To help you get the most out of your storage rental and to protect your belongings here are some useful tips to follow.

Use Pallets and Tarpaulins to Protect your Belongings

Raising your furniture and belongings off a concrete floor is a good idea when using rental storage as you removing your possessions from any potential water risk; a storage rental may not have heat or climate control and the floor may become damp which in turn will create conditions for mold and rot to take place with your belongings. For the same reason, covering items with a tarpaulin is recommended to ensure they are kept free of dust and insects and rodents who may find a home in unprotected items.

Ventilation

Make sure you allow for proper ventilation of your stored items; packing every cubic centimeter of your storage unit or blocking vents is a great way of creating the right conditions for moisture to accumulate and wreak damage on your belongings. Leave an inch or two between stored items and the walls of your storage unit which will allow the air to circulate and diminish the build-up of moisture.

Think Security

Pack your valuable items in unmarked storage boxes and stack these at the rear of your storage unit. Thieves will try to steal no matter how good the security of any storage location but you can minimize the risk by not making their job easy. Marking your storage boxes with valuables is a sure fire way of pointing out the attractive items to opportunist thieves while keeping them at the rear of the unit will make them work to find where your valuables are stored and they are not going to have the time to do this.

Use Cotton Sheets for Protection

Wrap soft furnishings such as mattresses in cotton sheets and covers rather than using cardboard and plastic. Cardboard will absorb moisture and plastic covers will trap condensation, both of which will lead to mildew and mold occurring. Cotton sheets allow the air to breath and circulate and this dispels moisture and damp.

These are just a few tips that will help you get the most out of your rental storage and protect your possessions.

In a consumer driven capitalistic marketplace such as the United States, the average person buys many more products than he or she needs or even realistically store in a typical residential building; therefore, the self storage business has seen an explosion of interest over the last decade. This explosion has been created by a number of factors including the shift of individuals and families to smaller houses, apartment buildings and condos that offer less storage space than typical single family houses, the continuous of a consumer based economy that constantly pressures an individual to buy and consume a never ending series of products, and a counter current trend that says that it is wasteful to throw away items that you no longer use or even need.

The United States economy has always been driven by the production of products. Manufacturers learned early on that if they did not constantly innovate and improve their products, consumers would not see the need to constantly purchase newer products. They would instead rely on the products they already had. Therefore, manufacturers and businesses quickly began issuing newer and improved models of the same products. This process tapped into the average Americans urge to constantly consume products by giving the average American a reason to go out and buy a newer product to replace the older product. Thus, we have families that will buy a new vacuum cleaner because it is a newer series with some different features when they may have a perfectly good vacuum cleaner siting in their hallway closet. The average family in the United States now owns 2.5 vacuums.

Add to this almost sickening compulsion to buy unneeded products is a counter trend that has come to permeate American culture that states that it is wrong to throw away products even if those products have been rendered useless by newer better products. For instance an individual might still have a video game console even though he or she has the newer and better version of that same console. For whatever reason, we seem to want to hold to those things that we have purchased like they are trophies testaments to our ability to buy products that we do not need or even use.

Added to this compulsion to buy and retain items is a phenomenon that has seen a dramatic shift away from the traditional single family home to smaller, more manageable, and more affordable housing options. Thus, we see the construction of huge apartment or condominium complexes. While offering many advantages over single family homes, space is not one of them. There is usually much less available storage space. Closets are smaller, there is usually no garage, and no ability to place storage shed in your backyard.

Thus, the sudden interest in the self storage business can be explained. Like always, people are driven to buy the newest and best product available even if they do not need that product. These people tend to have a very hard time parting from their older obsolete items. At the same time families are moving into smaller, more manageable living spaces. This means that they have less space to store their unused products. Therefore, they rent storage space at self service units, thereby, increasing the demand for such businesses.

Self Storage facilities first appeared in the UK in the 1980s, following on from the success in the USA where it is now a major industry with around 40,000 self storage facilities. It is now apparent that self storage space has become an important asset to the service industry and businesses of all sizes in general.

The two commonly used types of storage are container storage and self storage. Container storage predominantly offers a storage option with limited sized outdoor containers, sometimes stacked and only accessible by prior arrangement with the need of a fork lift truck, often surcharged. Self Storage offers companies and individuals a larger variety of sizes from lockers to large tailor made individual units, or multiple units to meet exact requirements. The units are situated within a larger building offering individual self contained rooms. The larger storage facilities offer a choice of units located on different floors utilising lifts and wide industrial staircases, all with goods handling and distribution equipment such as pallet pump trucks, sack trucks and trollies for ease of access at no extra charge to the individual or business.

Self Storage facilities are usually easily located in heavily populated areas, along major roads and near to retail and business parks. Ideal for business clients as an alternative to owning or leasing expensive industrial units with long leases.

The ideal space maker for businesses, self storage offers businesses the flexibility to manage their own space by swopping between unit sizes as and when required, with the option of short and long term periods of hire via a straight forward license agreement. The individual storage units themselves are lockable and secure with the occupier holding the key. Some self storage facilities offer the option of retaining a key to help with the receiving and despatching of goods on the occupiers behalf. All self storage companies offer extensive security measures such as PIN codes / swipe card entry systems, monitored closed circuit television and police monitored alarm systems, and some even with 24 hour seven days per week security patrols.

As the industry has grown over the years it has developed its own advisory watch dog and governing body, the Self Storage Association United Kingdom. All members of the Self Storage Association have to meet the association’s criteria and use their approved license agreement. With the help of the Self Storage Association and the Financial Services Authority there are now insurance options available for the customers goods whilst in storage.

Self storage can now offer small businesses and individuals a complete safe, secure and flexible storage solution.