Increasingly since the 1980’s people have been looking for new and interesting leisure activities to take part in.  We as consumers are also increasingly concerned about health issues; in particular, rising levels of obesity, this has led to an upsurge in the popularity of active leisure pursuits.  More and more leisure pursuits involve large and, or, expensive equipment, whether owned by individuals or as part of a club.  This equipment can tend to take up a large amount of storage space and maybe expensive to insure at home, ultimately this can interfere with the fun of having it, or can keep you from owning the equipment at all!  Domestic self storage can provide as much space for all the quad bikes, expensive mountain bikes, motor cycles, jet skis, micro lites, scooters etc, as your budget will allow and having the added benefits of saving costs on contents and vehicle insurance.

However not all leisure activities involve large pieces of equipment, many hobbies such as collecting can involve items small in size but large in number, resulting in the erosion of household space. Self storage solutions can alleviate the problem of your hobby taking over your home.  Nearly all self storage facilities offer good and flexible opening hours enabling you to visit your storage room as often as you like at no extra cost on top of your rental charge, giving you the household space back and the opportunity to continue with your hobby.

Handy tips when considering domestic self storage:

When calculating the amount of space you need to store your quad bike, jet ski, motorcycle etc, make sure you include extra room for all the additional equipment they may come with such as protective gear, trailers and car racks etc.

Check the accessibility of your chosen self storage unit, if you are using a storage solution to store larger items; is it on the ground floor?  How wide is the entrance to your unit? How close can you drive up to the self storage building / loading bay?

Likewise, check the storage facility has sack trucks, pallet trucks, trolleys etc available to help with moving your items from your vehicle to your unit.

Before you prepare your items for storage it may be helpful to keep an inventory of every item, and ideally make an estimate of the replacement value of each item you store.  This may help you make an accurate insurance claim in the case of unforeseen damage or loss.

To reduce the risk of damage use a self storage solution which offers packaging materials on site, or with an online ordering facility.   

Remember, if it’s worth storing its worth insuring.  Most self storage solutions require proof of insurance covering your belongings, or can offer affordable insurance at an extra cost.  Some facilities may include self storage insurance in the rental costs which simplifies costings offering an all inclusive price with no hidden extras.

To find the ideal storage solution the internet is becoming an essential tool in locating the best local facility, by simply searching on your specific area i.e. Self storage Lichfield or self storage Tamworth, you will be able to view the results instantly and click on to the company links.  Should the results show no facilities in your local area broaden your search from Town to County i.e. Self Storage Staffordshire, the results of which should offer you a greater choice.  When choosing a self storage facility always look for Self Storage Association members as these will have the most up-to-date licence agreements and use the latest recommended insurance schemes.