Choosing storage between homes

Storage between homes is usually decided in a hurry, when a settlement date slips or a lease ends before the new place is ready. The options look alike on a price list and behave very differently in practice. Here is what actually separates them.

The three common types

Most storage for household goods falls into one of three models.

Self-storage

You rent a lockable unit, move your things in yourself or with a removalist, and keep the key. You can visit whenever the facility is open. It suits people who need regular access or are storing for a long time, and who are comfortable doing some of the loading and stacking.

The trade-off is handling. Goods are typically unloaded from a truck, carried in and stacked, then carried out and loaded again at the end. Every extra lift is another chance for a knock.

Warehouse storage

Your goods go into a larger commercial building run by the storage provider. Access is by arrangement rather than walk-in, and the provider's staff move things in and out.

Containerised storage

Your goods are loaded into storage containers used only for your belongings, sealed, and kept in a warehouse. Nothing is unpacked and restacked between loading and delivery. Less handling is the main reason to choose it.

Questions to ask any provider

• Who handles my goods, and how many times will they be moved in and out?
• How is the building secured? Ask about alarms, cameras and who has access.
• Is it dry? Ask how the facility deals with humidity and leaks.
• Can I get to my things during the storage period? How much notice do you need, and is there a charge?
• What is the minimum term, and how is a longer stay priced?
• What insurance applies while goods are in storage? It is often a separate arrangement from transit cover.
• What happens at the end - do you deliver, or do I collect?

Preparing things for storage

Storage is kind to things that go in well prepared and hard on things that do not. A few weeks in a closed space magnifies small problems.

• Make sure everything is completely dry. A damp towel, a wet esky or a freshly cleaned fridge can spread mould through a whole load.
• Clean and defrost fridges and freezers, and store them with the door slightly open if you can.
• Cover upholstered furniture and mattresses with breathable covers rather than sealed plastic, which traps moisture.
• Do not overfill cartons, and do not underfill them either. A carton that sags crushes the one below it.
• Never store food, flammable liquids, gas bottles or anything alive.

Plan for access

Think honestly about what you might need before the move is finished. Winter clothes, if storage runs into the cold months. Tax paperwork. A child's bike. Pack those in clearly marked cartons and tell your removalist before loading, so they go in where they can be reached.

Anything you cannot do without - passports, medications, work equipment, sentimental items - should not go into storage at all. Keep it with you.

How long to book for

Settlement dates move, and new builds run late. Book for the period you expect, then ask how easy it is to extend. Being able to add a week or two without renegotiating everything is worth more than a slightly lower price.

Also ask how the end of storage works. Delivery straight to the new home, from sealed containers, is one move. Collecting from a unit and moving again is two.

Putting it together

For a short gap between homes, the question is usually handling: how many times your belongings are lifted, and by whom. For a long stay with regular visits, access matters more. Decide which of those describes your situation, then ask every provider the same questions.

Our storage page explains how storage fits around the rest of a move, and you can include it when you request a quote.