Many personal situations lead individuals to use self storage. For example, ending a relationship may require one or both parties to vacate their common residence in order to seek alternative accommodation.
Businesses often use storage units to store inventory, furniture and important documents that don’t fit in their offices or warehouses. This is an especially useful solution for businesses that want to save on warehouse rent.
1. Business Expenses
When running a business, it’s important to keep accurate records of all expenses, revenues and profits. This ensures that tax deductions are being applied appropriately and maximized. In addition, it also helps to minimize risk and reduce costs by identifying areas of potential improvement.
For instance, implementing technology solutions such as automated billing and client communication can streamline operations and increase efficiency, helping reduce overall operational expenses. Additionally, negotiating with vendors on bulk purchases or long-term contracts can help lower supply and labor costs. And regular insurance reviews can provide an opportunity to identify gaps and negotiate coverage to minimize insurance costs.
Storage units are a great place to store business supplies, such as seasonal equipment or promotional items. Instead of having to find room in a warehouse or office for these materials, renting a self storage unit provides businesses with a convenient, secure and cost-effective alternative. Plus, with many facilities offering a variety of unit sizes, it’s easy to find the perfect fit. This is especially helpful for businesses with employees who travel frequently or those with multiple locations.
2. Home Renovations
Home renovations can be a messy project that can leave your furniture, clothing, and even electronics dirty. Using self-storage units during a renovation can help you keep your possessions safe from dust, dirt, and other debris that could damage them. It can also make the project easier and faster by providing a more organized work space for the crew.
Having your belongings in storage will also help you declutter and get a clearer picture of the changes you want to make to your house. Living in a construction site can be difficult and messy, so having your belongings safely stored will keep you more relaxed and allow you to enjoy the process.
If you aren’t careful, your storage unit can become a repository for the clutter that you just don’t have room to deal with. This can lead to it being a place that you just keep stuff in until one day you decide to clean it out. However, with some creativity, you can turn your storage unit into a more useful space.
3. Moving Expenses
Whether you’re in the middle of a renovation project, a recent move or even going through a major life change, a self storage unit provides a safe place to store your belongings while you sort out your situation. And with many units available on a month to month basis, this can be a very cost-effective solution.
The TV show ‘Storage Wars’ and its regional spinoffs have given a whole new meaning to the term “junk.” It can be very therapeutic to declutter, but not everyone has family or friends with spare space to accommodate your belongings. For those times when the items are too valuable to donate or throw away, a storage unit is the next best thing!
In a complicated real estate market, the closing of your home can be delayed. Similarly, a business may be on the verge of relocation but the new offices aren’t ready yet. In these situations, a storage unit can provide temporary shelter for your valued belongings until the new premises are ready to receive them.
4. Frequent Flyers and Road Warrior
Whether they’re looking to downsize, or find themselves with an extra room after ending a relationship, people often turn to self storage to rest easy knowing their belongings are safe. With a variety of sizes available, storing belongings in a self storage unit can be more cost-effective than relocating into another apartment or rental house. Looking at different self-storage options might be best to know what is suited for your liking.
Additionally, if your job requires you to travel regularly, a self storage unit can give you a place to create a home base and store personal items that may be too big to fit in your work bag or suitcase. Many storage companies also offer climate controlled units, which is helpful for preventing damage to electronics and other delicate items that are sensitive to temperature fluctuations.
In addition to individuals who frequently travel, small businesses and entrepreneurs also look to storage units for commercial use. Having a space to store materials, inventory, and equipment can be a huge relief for small business owners. This is especially true now during the pandemic, when canceled flights and border-shutting has made it harder to manage point-to-point business travel.
5. Personal Belongings
Many people use self storage to store items that wouldn’t fit in their home or car. For example, people who own snow boots, garden equipment and patio furniture often place these items in storage during the offseason so they don’t take up space in their garage or driveway.
Remodeling a home is another common reason that leads people to rent a storage unit. This way, they can keep their valuables out of harm’s way until the renovation is complete.
Small businesses and e-commerce companies often use storage units to hold their inventory until they can find a more permanent home. Landscapers also often store their tools, and retailers may use a storage unit to hold promotional displays and additional stock that isn’t ready for shipping.
Clutter is a problem for both personal and professional spaces. If you have extra boxes, supplies and other items that are piled up in your house or office, renting a storage unit is a cost-effective solution to clear out the clutter and create more usable space.
6. Vehicles
Most of us associate storage units with bags of old clothes, boxes of mementos and furniture, but the truth is that they can be used for a lot more. Many people utilise self storage units for their cars, motorcycles and boats when they’re not in use. Some storage facilities even offer specialized units for vehicles that need extra shelter and environmental protection.
For business owners, a storage unit is a great place to keep inventory that wouldn’t fit in their storefront or office. They can also use them for things like office supplies, records and more. If you run a small or medium-sized business, storage units can be a great way to save money on rent and other expenses while ensuring that your company’s vital information is safe and secure.
As the world continues to shrink and more of us live in urban areas, using self storage units is a practical solution for storing large furniture or other items that don’t fit in a typical apartment.
7. Collections
While we often associate self-storage units with storing extra belongings during a move or providing temporary shelter for valuable movable items while remodeling a home, these spaces are capable of supporting a number of unique collections as well.
Aside from providing a safe place to store valuable collections like musical instruments, furniture and antiques, self-storage units can also be used to hold a variety of other objects. Artwork, books, seasonal goods and sports equipment are all great examples of collections that can be stored in a unit.
For businesses that rely on online sales and shipping, storage units can be an affordable and efficient alternative to renting a larger warehouse space. Small entrepreneurs and retailers who frequently travel with their merchandise can use a storage unit to keep inventory, samples and other business assets safe between shows and events.
Many individuals turn to self-storage units for short or long-term storage of a collection that would otherwise not fit into their homes or offices. In fact, this is one of the most commonly quoted reasons people seek out these types of facilities.
8. Extra Room
If you’re short on space at home but don’t want to sell your furniture, a storage unit can be a great solution. A 5×10 self storage unit, for example, is roughly the size of a walk-in closet and can easily fit one or two pieces of furniture, a king-sized mattress, large appliances, and plenty of boxes and totes.
Many top-rated storage facilities offer vehicle storage, whether you’re stowing a vintage hot rod or keeping your car safe for an extended trip abroad. Depending on the facility, you may even be able to store a boat or a trailer.
Master navigators of the boroughs, bike messengers are on the move all day long. That means they need a place to stash a spare outfit for that inevitable coffee spill and extra cases of water, sports drinks, and snacks to fight off that post-shift funk. With a quick trip to a NYC storage unit, they can keep their work and personal gear in check. Then, they’ll be ready to hit the road again with peace of mind.