What to Look For When Selecting a Storage Facility
Moving is never an easy task and having to store your belongings while you move or wait to get a house completed, can be a stressful and expensive endeavor.
So, you want to make sure that where you are storing your things has earned your trust and will do the best it can to keep your move as convenient and easy as possible.
Here listed below are some things to review and keep in mind when choosing the self-storage facility that is right for you with a convenient location.
Storage Facility Security
- Is the facility fully gated?
- One of the first things on the check list is a good gate. Its important that the property is fully fenced to help keep out individuals that might seek to case the property. All good facilities will be fully fenced and give their tenants their own gate code.
- Is there an onsite manager living on the property?
- It can not be stressed enough how important it is to have someone living on site to watch the facility. Having that person there to be aware of the goings on in the facility is necessary to keep security at a maximum and nothing deters crime like knowing someone is there watching.
- Does the facility maintain 24/7 video surveillance?
- While cameras will never replace on site management, having cameras is the next best thing. The eye in the sky can see all, as they say, and when working with vigilant management they can be powerful tools to help keep your belongings safe.
- Is there adequate lighting on the property?
- Not only is lighting great for loading and unloading into your unit at night, it is also a powerful safety tool. To keep the facility well lit, keeps down accidents as well as keep criminals on edge. After all it is much harder to sneak about when the facility is well lit.
- Is there limited but convent access hours?
- It is true the idea of having 24/7 access is tempting, and it can be convenient. However, it is also a major security risk as anyone can be on the property at any time. So always consider if you prefer the convince of access, or the security of controlled hours.
Storage Facility Features
- Is there a wide variety of units to choose from?
- Not only does having a variety of units make it easy to choose the size that best suits your needs, but it also means that you might not have to leave the facility of your choice if you need more or less space for your belongings and perhaps even wanting to park or store vehicles and RVs.
- Does the facility offer moving supplies?
- We all know moving can be a hectic process, and sometimes things can be forgotten in the move. That is way it is great when your storage facility offers moving supplies on site at reasonable prices to quickly retrieve and get you back on track as fast as possible.
- Do they offer multiple options to pay?
- In todays busy schedule a person might not have the time to drop off cash or a check, so it is always important for a good facility to offer multiple payment options, weather those be for automatic withdrawal, phone payments, or paying on their website.
- Does the facility charge an administration fee, or offer a refundable security deposit?
- This might seem like a small thing, but in the end, it boils down to either paying a fee or having the opportunity to get some of your cash back. There are plenty of facilities that will have administration fees, and these fees are a onetime payment that does not apply to your rent. While other facilities will offer security deposits that can be refunded in full if the terms are met at the end of the rental transaction. Every penny counts!
- Is there RV and semi-truck access on the property?
- If moving cross country or looking to park your RV, it is essential to have a facility that can accommodate those large vehicles, to give you easy access and have one less thing to worry about. Especially if you want to avoid the shuttle fee service from moving. Be sure to check that your facility of choice can handle it.
Storage Facility Services
- Does the facility offer a variety of discounts and have competitive prices?
- Its no secret that moving is expensive and when working with a budget, you don’t want to spend more than you have to on storage. So, you want to make sure that the facility of your choice is competitive and reasonable, and always be sure to ask for discounts for senior citizens, returning customer, military, and even for students and service members like police and other emergency services.
- Is the property maintained and kept in good repair?
- When choosing a storage facility, it is important that the facility takes just as much care of itself as it does your belongings. Seeing a property that has its roofs redone and its roads cleaned and repaved shows that it has active and attentive ownership. So, the likely hood of dealing with leaks, and potholes, and other issues are greatly diminished. Its always great to see someone take care and pride in their property.
- Is the facility clean and has pest spraying?
- Weather and pests have always been and will always be a cause for concern. A good and well-maintained facility will offer a plowing service to keep the site as clear as possible during snow storms, and they will spray for pests control.
- Do they offer dumping services for RVs?
- If you are looking for storage for a RV or trailer, it will be important to see if the facility offers a place for you to empty out the vehicle. Which can be a huge convenience rather than having to visit your local KOA or some over RV park, when you can simply dump it where you store it.