What Do I Look for in a Reputable Storage Unit Company?
The Importance of Choosing the Right Company for Your Stuff
There are two basic reasons most people rent out a storage unit:
- You need a short-term solution while you move or renovate your home; or
- You want a long-term answer because you need to downsize your living space, but don’t want to get rid of key items.
In both cases, you need a safe and secure location in which to store your possessions, which means you need a reliable storage unit facility. Locating a reputable storage unit company is more than choosing something relatively clean-looking that’s not far from your home. We suggest taking into account the following four tips the next time you’re in the market for a storage unit to take care of your stuff.
1) Convenient Office Hours
The experts at Lifehacker recommend that you check when, where, and how you can speak to the management of the storage unit facility. It’s one thing to have access to your stuff whenever you need it (which is good!), but you should also want access to the people in charge of the property at times that are helpful to you. A facility with limited customer service hours might be a facility that doesn’t take its responsibilities seriously.
2) Transparent Information
You should approach this topic from two directions: 1) What the company tells you over the phone (or on its website); and 2) What the company tells you when you visit the facility. And you should definitely not sign up for a storage unit without visiting the facility and seeing the exact unit you hope to rent.
Not only should those two perspectives match, but the quality of in-person visit should actually exceed what you experienced digitally. And if you have specific questions about what you saw online and what you see in person, you should expect to receive clear and direct answers without any equivocating or “I’ll have to check on that later” type deflection tactics.
3) Secure and Well-Maintained Facility
Ensuring that your possessions are safe in your storage unit should go far beyond checking to see if there’s a fence and some security cameras. Zillow advises watching out for the following elements in the site’s overall condition to confirm that the storage unit company is committed to true security:
- The physical units are in good condition
- The complex is clean
- No evidence of rodents or bugs
- Well-lit environment
- Ample parking
- Helpful equipment and resources
You should also check the population of the facility. Because if less than half the units are filled (unless the complex is less than one year old), there’s a good chance something might be wrong with the situation.
4) Service-Oriented Management
With very few exceptions, the quality of the staff and management for a facility should be the determining factor when making your decision. When asked what people should really be look for in a reputable storage company, Kaylee Newton at LockTite Storage in Pearland, TX, stated the following:
“Always try to find one that is focused on how they can serve you. If they aren’t asking what they can do to meet your needs, I wouldn’t want to leave my belongings with them. The customer needs to know that the company has their best interest in mind and that they’re not just trying to make a buck.
Most people who rent storage units are storing their entire homes or most of their belongings because of an event that took place in their lives. Whatever the situation may be, the facility needs to help make that process easier. A facility should make it clear that they are there to serve.”
Sparefoot agrees with Mrs. Newton, especially when it comes to keeping a manager on site as often as possible. A storage unit company that’s committed to having someone in authority available to help tenants at all times is a company that’s worth your time, effort, and money.
It doesn’t matter how long you need the storage unit – what matters is your peace of mind regarding the condition and security of your possessions. Finding a reputable storage unit company that you can trust should be the most important part of your storage unit search. Because, even if you locate the biggest unit with the best air conditioning for the cheapest price, it won’t matter if you aren’t sure that your stuff will still be in good condition when you go to claim it later.