Know the Policies of Self Storage Facilities Before Renting
Taking advantage of any service involves making a wise decision. It is a must to learn first what’s involved in utilizing such service or any facility for that matter. Educating yourself about the terms and conditions will protect you from any unforeseen circumstances moving forward.
This should also be an important consideration when using self storage facilities. Providers normally have specific regulations that consumers need to follow. These cover the many aspects of storing personal belongings inside the rental unit.
What’s allowed. One of the first things you have to determine is the type of items that a facility allows customers to store within its premises. Most self storage providers accept only dry items that don’t easily rot. For those that allow perishable or delicate items such as important documents, they may limit the period of storage or they may require the use of only the weather or temperature controlled units.
Illegal drugs are definitely not allowed. Also not accepted are combustible items.
Rental period and fees. Customers also have to find out how long a facility allows storage of personal belongings and the fees they charge for renting a certain size of unit suited for your needs. Upon knowing this, you can then decide whether to rent a unit on a monthly, quarterly or yearly basis. Check as well what type of payment they accept, whether cash, check or credit card or all of them.
Access to the unit. Some customers would like to have constant access to their belongings the reason why they’re very particular about having their own lock and keys. If they can have access to the facility round the clock, the more they will prefer it. However, not all self storage providers allow 24-hour access because some may only agree that customers visit their units during office hours.
Another aspect in line with this that many consumers look for is the drive-up parking for feast and easy access to the facility.
Security system. This is an important feature that many customers look for. It is then your responsibility to learn about the facility’s policy on this matter. Many self storage providers today are utilizing state of the art security devices including the closed circuit television or CCTV camera within their premises. Some, however, may still be using just the basic system hence, it’s a must to verify and if possible do a personal check of the unit beforehand.
Insurance. Prior to renting a unit, do find out whether insurance for stored items is automatically provided by the facility. Some people assume it is but it’s not always the case. The reality is that only a few of these self storage providers offer a comprehensive insurance included in the rental fees they charge. For those that do provide insurance, it may only be just the basic type. Additionally, you may find their rental charges a bit higher than the others.
But if you think the personal belongings you’re storing have great value, you may get additional coverage on your own.
So again, always learn about the policies of your preferred facility before you sign the contract and pay.