The new university term is on the horizon and many are preparing to return to their studies or to start a new course. This may mean you’ll be moving into new accommodation in the next few weeks. For many students and particularly international students’ co-ordinating all of your possession can be difficult. You may be moving back into smaller accommodation and don’t have room for all of your possessions but are too far from home to return it home. It’s also worth bearing in mind that different types of accommodation have different rules on storing items out of term time. So, this may be good time to consider using secure self storage as a second home for your extra books, clothes, bikes etc.
What to look for
There’s a few things to consider when researching a self storage company. Namely:
• the premises need to be secure, with CCTV in operation and you should be able to have your own padlock and key so that there is only you who has access to your items in that room.
• there should be rooms of a range of sizes so that you can choose one that best suits the volume of goods that you have and pay for just the amount of space that you need.
• consider the location of the facility and take in to account that you’ll need to be able to transport your goods in and out of the facility and you’ll also need to be able to access the site if you want to take items in and out of storage.
• Factor in the cost of the storage. Many companies will offer discounts for students and it’s worth investigating this with them. Equally, it may be even cheaper if you have friends who also need to store a few items and you can share a storage room and the cost.
Transport
You may be able to arrange your own means of transport to carry your possessions to the facility. If you require help moving your items, many self storage facilities operate removal services and will be able to give you a quote for the removal of your possession into storage.
Also bear in mind that your items will need to be packed. Equally, it’s most likely that the elf storage facility will sell boxes and packaging materials. It’s worth taking the time and care when to pack your items properly. Invest in wrapping paper, packing chips and decent boxes to make sure that your items are protected during transit and when in storage.
Don’t forget
An important part of being a student is budgeting and do bear in mind that when using a self storage facility, you are entering a contract and if you miss payments, this can lead to extra fees and even your items being held.
Self storage companies can, ordinarily be quite flexible in their contracts and many will have a short notice period for when you want to completely vacate the facility. Clarify these terms with the company that you opt for.
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