Renting Warehouse Space For Your Personal Possessions
If you are gearing up for a big move or if you want to remove some of the clutter from your home, basement or attic, consider renting warehouse space. Renting a warehouse will give you an offsite location to safely store your items that is climate controlled and secure.
Before you sign the lease on the warehouse space you’ll need to visit the facility to inspect the premises first hand. You’ll need to be comfortable with where your valuables will be stored, and you’ll need to make sure the warehouse is clean and have proper security systems. You may also want to check to see how your items will be stored while in the warehouse. Will they be on pallet racks or shelves? Will there be secure wooden containers for loose items? How do warehouse employees handle the items? Warehouse management may require employees to move items to allow access to other items, so be sure to watch them while at work to see how carefully they operate warehouse machinery.
You should have a good idea of how long you’ll need to rent the warehouse space. Don’t sign a lease for an entire year if you only need to store your possessions for a couple of months. Find out the prices for month-to-month leases or if the warehouse offers a 6-month or 8-month leasing contract. If you need long-term storage, find out if the company offers long term leasing policies and make sure the rental fee doesn’t skyrocket after the first year.
Once you decide on a warehouse space to rent and sign the lease with the warehouse manager, you can start transporting your items into your designated storage area. You can either move the items yourself or hire a moving company to do it for you. Some warehouses will provide you with a moving and transporting service, which is recommended because they can store and stack items into your rented space in a way in which it is easier to be moved and stored. The packing materials you choose can also have an impact on the way your items are stored. Professional packing and moving companies or warehouse employees can assist you in maximizing your packing and wrapping to ensure efficient warehouse storage.
As your possessions are being moved into the warehouse space, an inventory will be taken. All paperwork will need to be done at this time for legal reasons to document the exact amount of items and the condition they are in at arrival. When it is time to retrieve your items, the condition will be checked to ensure nothing was damaged during the time that the warehouse space was leased.
Many warehouse facilities offer add-on features to renting space. You may wish to purchase insurance, or it may be offered to you as part of your rental fee. Many warehouses also have bathrooms, showers and offices available for those who need to work or are storing goods that are constantly being shipped. For storing your personal possessions, however, you’ll probably want to insure your items and make sure they will be stored in a safe and secure manner until you need to retrieve them.