Service 06
Storage, for the gap
Two dates that will not meet is the ordinary condition of moving house, not a disaster. Storage is what turns it from a crisis into a line on the plan.
The question that decides it
Do you need to reach your things while they are stored?
If yes — you are pulling stock out weekly, or you want to rummage for the winter coats — take a self-storage unit. There are several around NW London and they are good at what they do, and we will tell you that rather than sell you something that will frustrate you.
If no, and for a household waiting on a completion the answer is almost always no, containerised storage is better in every way that matters.
Side by side
| Consideration | Containerised what we do | Self-storage unit the sites nearby |
|---|---|---|
| Who moves it | We do — collected from your address by the crew who wrapped it. | You do, or you hire someone separately. The unit is an empty room. |
| How it is held | Loaded into containers at the house, sealed there, unopened until it returns. | Stacked loose in a rented room and handled again on every visit. |
| Getting at things | By appointment — containers are brought out for you. Not a drop-in arrangement. | Whenever the site is open, with your own key or code. |
| Suits | A household between two dates, a renovation, a chain that slipped, a move abroad. | Things you reach often: stock, tools, sports kit, a business with weekly access. |
| What you handle | Nothing. You get an inventory and a redelivery date. | The van, the trolley, the lift queue and the padlock. |
How a collection works
Exactly like a move, because it is one. A survey first, then a crew who pack and wrap to removal standard: blanket wrap on upholstery, cartons for glass, wardrobe boxes for clothes. Everything is listed on an inventory as it goes into the containers and you get a copy.
The containers are sealed at your address, taken to the warehouse and logged still sealed. When you are ready, you book a redelivery, the seals come off in front of you, and the crew unloads into the rooms you point at.
Packing for storage is not packing for a van
Worth saying because it catches people. A box that survives a journey across HA5 is not necessarily a box that should sit sealed for a season. Everything has to be dry going in, clothes are better boxed than left in furniture, and anything carrying a residue — a barbecue, a vacuum, a half-used tin — is trouble waiting.
What we will not store
Nothing perishable, flammable, corrosive or living: no fuel, gas bottles, paint, solvents, plants or food. Documents, jewellery, cash and irreplaceable papers belong with you rather than in a sealed container. Ask before the collection about anything you are unsure of — it is a far easier conversation then.
Cover while goods are in store
Storage cover is arranged separately from the goods-in-transit cover that applies during a move, and it is based on what you declare the contents to be worth. The limits and terms are in the storage agreement, which is worth reading before collection rather than after.
Related
Storage usually arrives attached to something else — a house move, a renovation, or a move out of the country. Tell us the whole picture and it is quoted as one job.
Questions
Storage, in plain terms
01 What kind of storage is it?
Containerised. Your things are wrapped and inventoried at the house, loaded into containers, sealed there, and not opened again until they come back to you. It is not a unit you drive to and unlock.
02 Can we get at things while they are stored?
By appointment, with notice, because containers have to be brought out and opened. If you need weekly access to a few things, a self-storage unit is genuinely the better tool and we will say so.
03 How do we know what is in there?
The inventory taken at collection, which you get a copy of. It is also what the storage cover is based on, so it is worth reading rather than filing.
04 What will you not store?
Nothing perishable, flammable, corrosive or living: no fuel, gas bottles, paint, solvents, plants or food. Documents, jewellery and irreplaceable papers should stay with you rather than go into a sealed container.
Next step
If a completion has just moved, ring rather than email.
A call gets you an answer while somebody is actually looking at the space, which matters when a household has to be out on a fixed date.