Before Booking Your Bay Area Storage Unit

Before you book an appointment for movers to pick-up your belongings for storage, there are a few questions you’ll need to ask. Consider these:

Is the facility clean?

The last thing you’d want is to place your belongings inside of a storage unit that’s dirty. Be sure to ask the property manager if you can look around the facility. Is there garbage laying around? If so, then this might be an indicator of how well the inside of your potential unit is being maintained or neglected.

Beyond obvious signs of dirt, you should look out for signs of pests inside of the rental unit. Obvious signs of pest infestations include rodent droppings, or insect carcasses. Clearly, you don’t want pests making a breeding ground inside of your belongings, so make sure that your storage unit property managers place a premium on keeping the units cleaned, sanitary, and treated with pest control chemicals.

Is the facility secure?

One of the features that separates a storage property you can trust from the ones you should ignore is the level of security. What steps are the managers taking to keep the property and the units safe from theft? As you look around the property and the neighborhood, would you feel safe keeping your belongings on the property?

Does the management invest in cameras around the property? How about electronic security gates that close behind one car at a time? Will anyone entering the property need a code to enter or leave? These are questions you need to ask. At the same time, practice awareness, and observe these features for yourself, in person.

Will you have 24/7 access to your unit?

Let’s face it: If you’re like many, then you might work a variety of hours during a 24–hour day. Wouldn’t you feel good knowing that you can gain access to your storage unit at your convenience? Most people do, and that’s why you should make sure to do business with a storage facility that’s available to property tenants 24–hours–a–day, seven days a week.

Were you offered a range of sizes?

You’re going to need a storage unit to accommodate all your belongings, but do you want to feel forced to pay for more space than you’ll need? That’s why it’s crucial that the storage facility you rent from offers you a range of unit sizes, along with corresponding prices.

Here’s something to keep in mind: As you think of how much space you’ll need, try to imagine your belongings boxed and contained inside of a room in your house. How big is that room? That’s how much space you’ll need.

But also keep in mind that you’ll need to fit your boxes and bags inside of the unit with enough space to move around. At the very least, you need enough room for air to circulate around so that your items aren’t damaged by moisture and mold.

Finally, look for the type of storage facility where you can store residential belongings such as furniture, wine, art, and personal documents. All of these require special care, and the right storage facility for you will be able to accommodate all your needs.