There are many reasons you may need to leave your home for an extended period of time, but knowing what to do with your property and belongings whilst you’re away shouldn’t give you sleepless nights.  Whether you are going away for business, travelling the world, or having extensive renovation work completed on your house, Stop and Store offers secure self storage units for your precious household items at affordable prices. Even better, we are conveniently located in Fareham Shopping Centre to make self storage easier than ever. If you have queries about how best to ensure your home remains safe and secure, you are not alone.

Simple Security

Although it might seem obvious, in your rush to catch a train or plane simple security measures can be forgotten. Before leaving your home, take time to ensure that all windows are locked with the keys removed and hidden elsewhere. Check every door is locked to ensure the property remains secure whilst you are away. Finally, remember to check that other access points to the property are securely locked, including garden and driveway gates and any side or rear access to the property or garden. Outbuildings including sheds and garages should also be secured.

Home Insurance

Before leaving your home, it is important to read the small print on your buildings and contents insurance. Many insurance companies only offer cover if a home is not left unoccupied for 30 or more days. If you will be away from your home for longer than 30 days, you may need to consider getting a quote for specialist unoccupied home insurance. If something were to happen whilst you were away, and you had not declared leaving the property unoccupied for a month or more, you could find that your insurance will not cover any damage caused by fire, water leaks, or for burglaries or thefts.

Property Maintenance

It is sensible to check that smoke alarms are working before leaving your home, and to consider installing fresh batteries. You may also wish to book in a boiler service or have a security alarm installed prior to going away.

you are away, it is important that your property appears to be well maintained. Overgrown bushes, grass and shrubs can be a giveaway that a property is unoccupied. It may be worth hiring a gardener to occasionally tidy and trim any plants or lawns whilst you are away. If you will be away during the winter months, setting the heating to come on for a short period every day will help to prevent the pipes from freezing.

Deterrents

Many criminals are opportunists and there are steps you can take to make your property less vulnerable to crime. Putting one or two lights on a timer can make the property appear lived in, especially in the winter when a dark house could attract unwanted attention. Setting up a video security system allows you to see your property from wherever you are in the world, and the presence of visible cameras may deter burglars from trying to gain entry.

It can be helpful to leave a key with a trusted neighbour or friend who can pop in to pick up any post, especially if a pile of post would be visible to anyone walking past your property. Depending on your circumstances, you may even choose to set up a postal redirect to prevent post going to your unoccupied home.

Leaving a key with a friend is also helpful in case anyone should need to gain access, for example the emergency services or a tradesperson for any urgent work that is unexpectedly required whilst you are away.

Valuables

Many of us own valuable items including jewellery, electricals and antiques that we would not take away with us on a trip, but would also not want to leave in an unoccupied home. Using a personal storage facility such as Stop and Store allows you to select the right sized storage unit for your precious belongings, safe in the knowledge that the items will not be left in your unoccupied home. Our secure storage facility boasts secure, individually alarmed units, 24 hour CCTV and an intruder alarm. Wherever you are in the world, you will have peace of mind that your possessions are in the best place.

Students

If you are a student in Hampshire, you may be returning home to your parents’ home for the long summer break. It seems unnecessary to transport all of your possessions back home for just two or three months, and you may prefer to select a budget storage unit in Fareham for short term storage. With storage units bookable on a month to month contract, Stop and Store could be exactly what you need to avoid unnecessary trips to move your items. We will even soon be stocking moving supplies and packing materials such as boxes, bubble wrap and tape to make storing your belongings even easier.

Renting Your Property Out

If you are leaving your property for an extended period of time, you might be keen to earn some money from your empty home whilst you are away. Renting your property to a family, couple or young professionals can give you a significant additional income and the reassurance of knowing that someone else is looking after your home on a daily basis. However, it is understandable that you may not want to leave financially or sentimentally valuable items in your home whilst someone else is living in it. Moving your most treasured items to a secure storage facility could be exactly what you need.

If you have a pet, hiring a pet sitter can be an excellent way to ensure your pet is well cared for and your home maintained in your absence. Pet sitters often pay less rent in exchange for caring for your dog, cat or other small animal. Going away for an extended period can be expensive enough, and especially if you factor in a pet sitter using your gas and electricity. A budget storage solution allows you to take care of your valuables without breaking the bank.

Home Renovations

If you are having extensive renovation work carried out on your home, it is likely that you will have possessions that need storing for the duration of the build. Keeping your belongings away from the dirt and dust of the building work in a secure location is a sensible choice. If, due to the nature of the build, your home is unsecured during any of the project, moving valuable items to a secure storage unit is of paramount importance.

If your home improvement project takes longer than expected, you can easily extend your storage rental until you are ready to return your items to your new and improved home.

Storage Unit Rental, Fareham

At Stop and Store we offer flexible contracts that can be extended as required, giving you the flexibility to extend the use of storage facilities from wherever you are in the world. With many of our units there’s no deposit to pay and 50% off when booking your first 3 months storage. We are pleased to already be serving customers from the surrounding areas including Portchester, Titchfield and Gosport.

Book Today

With storage units from 12 to 200 square feet, storing your belongings whilst you are away from home has never been easier. We even have an online space calculator to help you decide which storage unit is right for you. With Stop and Store, book today for cheap, secure storage in Fareham.