Do you use a professional self storage unit?

It’s been many years, but when I was moving frequently I used them a lot. Some places have climate controlled units that won’t get too hot or freeze. If I remember correctly, they cost a bit more. Once I stored the stuff that wasn’t temperature sensitive (big, clunky furniture and the like) in a regular unit and rented a smaller, inside a building, climate controlled, unit for more sensitive stuff.

Good luck with your move!

I have, a couple years ago, but not since pre-COVID. Used it for 2–2½ months.

1) security – the place was fenced (one story) and of course each unit had its own lock – we spent a bunch of $$ on a high end lock. Managers lived on the premises. Never had an issue.

2) Heat – this was a storage place with garage doors to the outside – not an indoor place. Our storage was in the April to June time frame so heat wasn’t an issue for us. However, it could have been in mid-July. By the way, this was all in Atlanta, known for hot summers.

3) Pricing: Some places will do “first month free” offers, or something like that. Shop around/

4) Are you going to need anything that is being stored? Put that stuff near the front of the unit. Or better yet don’t store it. I had to find something (when I had the unit) and it was a pain in the ass to empty ¼ of the unit to get to it.

5) Check on the driveways and how close you can get to the door. The place that I used was on a mild hill, meaning that the truck (U-Haul) was on a slight incline. In retrospect, I should have rented on a totally flat section.

I did when I first moved home. Unless you use one of those climate controlled places, YES heat could very well be a problem!!! In most cases here it’s a metal building with a metal roll down door & you provide the padlock. I NEVER had any problem with theft except from my dad who didn’t approve of several items that I owned & he threw them away. Of course, back then not everybody found it a career to break into the lockers like they seem to do now days. Look for a place with an on-premises manager & the entire property fenced in.

Most of the climate controlled units are inside a locked building & I have NO experience to share.

The other thing that you might consider is a POD. They aren’t cheap, but they will pick them up & store them on their site. Then once you get settled, they will ship it to your new yard to unpack yourself. You can take your time if you’re willing to pay the price. Once again, you provide the padlock. I have friends who swear by these as the ONLY way to go!!!

We divided our stuff up so the heat sensitive items went into a climate controlled unit. Items such as expensive antiques, candles, etc. went there. everything else that wouldn’t be damaged by extreme heat or cold went in a regular storage unit. We kept a detailed list of what was in each unit so when it was time to move, we knew where everything was.

Our stuff was in storage for almost a year before we were able to move into our new house.

I have had my things stored many many times. I had one horrible experience and the rest were good.

My advice is visit the storage facility don’t just let a moving company choose. I also advise to watch the movers load the furniture into the containers or rooms. If the mover is associated with the facility they will tend to underfill the containers and possibly charge hundreds more a month.

My favorite to deal with was Pods. I really liked the manager of the location I was storing in, and I could look in my pod for free at an time if I wanted to add or remove anything for it. Most storage facilities you have go pay per hour. My moving company filled the pods at the Pod storage facility. You can fill it at your house and then they transport the pod to the facility. The thing is, the pod needs to be packed well if you are transporting it.

I had to when I listed my old house for sale. Any clutter has to go. It was a life saver.