One of the questions we get asked every day is how much is the price of storage in Wirral? This will depend on the size of the unit required, its location and even where it is located within the building.

Firstly, why do you need storage? Is this for a house move or because you are going abroad for a period of time, or just need to declutter your house, because you are looking to put your house on the market? Whatever the reason the common denominator that will determine the cost of your storage unit will be how much space you require. Therefore, the first job is to understand exactly what you are looking to store.

The Price of Storage in Wirral

Moving House

If you’re looking to move to a new house, then most storage companies will be able to estimate the amount of storage you require by telling them how many bedrooms your house is. The actual size requirement will be determined by whether you have any large pieces of furniture. For example, if you have a one bedroom flat then you probably need somewhere in the order of 50 sq ft. However, if you are looking to store the contents of a 3-bedroom house this may be anything from 150 to 200 sq ft.

De-Cluttering

What if you are just looking to declutter your house, to put it on the market. This will be a very different requirement. Chances are most of the items that you’ll be looking to store will be relatively small and probably boxed up. You will not need access to the storage room while your goods are in storage. Therefore, you can use the entire cubic space of the room. This will mean that you will need to rent less space because you can stack the boxes. This is a far more efficient use of the space available to you.

Business Storage

Do you need storage for your business? Again, how much space will you require will depend on what your need is. If it is for excess stock this may come on pallets and therefore one important consideration is the size of the door. You will need a double swing or a roller shutter door in order to get the pallet into the unit.

Also, would it be more convenient to have this stored in a drive-up unit or inside the building? A drive-up unit is always easier in terms of accessibility, but you’ll probably have less flexibility on the size of unit available. Many storage companies will use shipping containers and have converted these into storage units. However, these generally come only in two sizes 20 ft long, (160 sq ft) and 40 feet long, (320 sq ft). This may well be more space than you require.

It may be that you take an internal unit. However, if you are accessing the space on a regular basis then it is important to ensure that access is convenient. A unit near the front of the facility near the loading area on the ground floor would be best for you. This is likely to be more expensive as it is the most convenient location in the facility. All these considerations will determine the price you pay.

Facility Location

The actual location of the storage facility will have a significant influence on the price you pay. If you are looking for storage in London, then you are likely to pay significantly more than if you were in a rural location or a smaller town.

Also, if the storage on offer is basically drive up shipping containers, then this will generally cost less than a storage unit within a purpose-built self storage facility.

Climate Controlled Storage

In many cases, self storage will offer heated and unheated storage rooms. Heated rooms are always more expensive than unheated. The question you should ask is whether you require your goods to be in a climate-controlled environment while they are in storage. The most important consideration is whether the facility is clean dry and secure.

Promotions

Another issue that will affect the cost of your storage is whether the company is offering any deals or promotions. Within the Self Storage industry, it is very common to be offered a promotion or upfront deal in order to entice you to store with that specific company. These are presented in many ways but generally will involve a discount for the first period of storage and then your rent will revert to the full market rate after this period.

These deals are, for example, 50% off for the first 2 months, or your first month for £1. You can also negotiate discounts based on prepayment. Generally, if you prepay for 6 months then the storage company will offer a discount saving of 5% and if you prepay for 12 months then often a discount of a further 10% is available to you.

It is always worth asking when enquiring whether there are any discounts or promotions available, as these will not always be offered to you by the sales staff. If they think they can rent the unit without having to provide a discount, then they will. However, self storage is highly negotiable, and it is always worth asking.

Another point to consider when negotiating the price is whether the facility is new or established. With new facilities, their objective is to get the space filled as quickly as possible and rents are far more negotiable than with a stabilized facility, which has high occupancy. Therefore, even if discounts and promotions are not being marketed, it is always worth asking the question or negotiating the rent that is quoted. In most cases, the storage company will agree a discounted rent for the first few months.

Are All Rooms the Same?

In many cases, self storage facilities will have the same size room but on different floors or in different locations within the facility. This is another opportunity to potentially get a discount on your storage. The way that self storage is priced is generally based on convenience within the building. Therefore, the same size room may well be cheaper if it is on the upper floor. When you are enquiring it is always worth asking. If you do not require access to your room while your goods are in store, then why pay more to have it in a convenient location on the ground floor or nearer door, when the same room is significantly cheaper on a top floor.

How Long Is the Storage Price Guaranteed?

Another question to ask when you are renting is how long the price is guaranteed for. In many cases, a self storage business will discount the price for a period, say two months and then it will revert to the full market rent.

However, the storage company may well impose a rent review at some point. The question is when will they put the rent up. This is where you need to look at your storage contract to see how this is managed. Generally, the storage company can put the rent up at any time subject to one month’s written notice.

It is always worth asking when the rent is likely to go up. Even if you do receive notice that your rent has been increased, you should always call the storage facility and see whether this can be negotiated. The last thing they want is to lose a customer over a small percentage increase.

Restrictions Within the Room

Price is also affected by any kind of restrictions within the storage room. For example, particularly with storage facilities that have been developed within building conversions, there are often columns that need to be incorporated which run through the storage unit.

If you’re looking for cheap storage space, it is worth asking to see whether any of these types of units are available, because they will always be rented at a discounted rate. This may well be the case with restricted head heights. For example, part of the unit is full height, but part of the unit goes under the eaves of the building roof line. This type of room will be discounted, but this space is perfectly usable subject to what you’re looking to store.

Therefore, as you can see the price you should pay is determined by many factors. It is good to be armed with all the information before you go and view a storage facility and negotiate the price. Most managers and sales staff have the authority to agree discounted or promotional rates. You should always ask the question, and chances are you will negotiate a far better deal than the one on their website.