Introduction To Self Storage: What It Is and How It Works
It is the renting out of storage space to interested tenants (individual tenants to private businesses) on a monthly basis.
This practice started out in the US, and is mostly practiced there.
The space can be in the form of rooms, containers, lockers and outdoor space in which tenants can store and access their goods whenever they need them.
The storage units are mainly made of corrugated materials.
Usually windowless, the units are lockable and only the renter can have access to the rooms.
Furthermore, the units can be unlocked by rolling up the metal door that covers the unit.
In case you're worried about your valuables' security, worry not because there are security measures which are employed to ensure enough safety of individual units.
These measures vary from one storage to the other, and some of them include the following: security guards, door alarms, and security cameras.
More expensive and more advanced units use a biometric system (such as thumb print verification and a hand scanner) to ensure that only the person who is renting the unit has access to it.
Storage units come with a variety of facilities and features.
For instance, some storage units are normally climate-controlled to prevent goods from getting spoiled, and some even have an outdoor storage for boats.
And if you're lucky, you'll find a unit with and electricity inside.
How Does it Work? The person interested in storing goods looks for a storage unit that suits his needs and rents it.
The terms and conditions vary depending on what the self storage owners require.
For instance, some owners allow their customers to have 24-hour access to their units, while others want other terms.
But in general, the space of the unit will be given according to the amount of goods and the nature of goods.
The things that can be stored in a storage unit include strong household goods, excess inventory and archived records.
If a tenant fails to pay for the rental charges for a long time, his goods are normally auctioned to pay for the charges and in case he pays he can reclaim his goods.
In auctioning bidders are invited whereby they purchase the goods and resell them at a profit.
Things to Consider When Renting a Unit When renting a storage unit, here are a few things to consider.
First, there are many storage units all over the place.
One can get whatever he wants depending on his needs.
Storage units vary in price according to many factors such as type, size, shape, and place among others.
So take your time to find the best one that fits your needs.
Second, self storage is different from a warehouse in that in self storage facilities the employees do not have access to the storage units while in warehouse they have access.
Third, self storage is gaining popularity as more people are venturing into the business.
As the demand grows, the competition gets stiffer, and more self storage facilities are being constructed to meet the demand.
So if you're business savvy, you can haggle your way to a cheap but complete storage unit.