Understanding Self Storage Rates

As seasoned movers will be able to tell you, when someone is getting ready to change residences, they will suddenly realize that they own more in terms of possessions than they had anticipated. This is usually seen when the dad is perusing the offerings of available trucks at the hauling rental and inevitably he will choose the mid-sized variety only to realize later one that he will have to make a large number or extra trips just to get everything to the new home. Had he chosen the correct bigger size, he might have been able to get away with two or three trips – which is also a mistake made when renting self storage units.

The same kind of underestimation occurs when the family is shopping for a new home. Devoid of furniture and clutter, a house may appear cavernous, but once the family’s possessions begin to arrive, the huge space suddenly is not all that big anymore, and if in-home storage is not as well thought out as perhaps it should have been, the family may find that they have more boxes and things that require putting away than they have cabinets and wardrobes in which to hide them. Inevitably, the garage and basement get commandeered as temporary storage facilities. It is not surprising to find boxes from moves past in the dark recesses of a garage – some have never been opened! Yet once the basement and garage needs to be put to its intended use, the left over possessions need to be stored somewhere else and this usually has the family thinking about self storage. Understanding self storage rates will help to pick out a storage room that is the appropriate size as well as priced to such an extent that it will provide you the maximum amount of space at a minimum amount of cost.

Factored into the self storage rates are the cost of 24-7 surveillance of the facility – most are accessible to the storage owners at all times, but video surveillance is provided as a security measure – as well as climate control (if available), ramp access, locks and key services, and in some cases there may be extra charges for upstairs units. The latter may appear odd – after all, you will have to climb stairs to store your possessions – but if the facility is located in a flood plain, these upper rooms are in

high demand since they will remain dry even if the bottom floor becomes a victim of flooding.  In addition to the foregoing, self storage rates sometimes include a fee for optional insurance coverage. Before you decide in favor of the insurance, speak to your homeowner or rental insurance agent – many times your possessions that are stored away from home will still be covered; yet since limitations may vary, it is imperative that you know exactly what is covered and what is not. If you find that the coverage is not adequate, by all means add the optional insurance coverage to your overall self storage rates.

Last but not least, remember that some self storage facilities will add a host of other charges, and thus many facilities will differ from one another. One may apply termination fees, while others will require first and last months storage up front. Some facilities will break down the last month’s fee over three months, while others will collect it at sign up. Generally speaking, many of the fees will make the first month’s rate rather steep, but thereafter it will be smooth sailing. Understanding these fees before you commit to renting a space will assist you in not falling victim to unpleasant surprises later on.