A Guide to Moving House Storage
Using self-storage for your house move is an ideal way to tackle it in stages. By using moving house storage, you have the time to decide what you want to take to your new home without the pressure of packing everything up.
With 49% of storage companies saying they saw an increase in house movers using their units during the last year, self-storage proves to be a huge help during the moving process.
1. Helps You Pack in Stages
Using moving house storage allows you to pack and unpack in stages. If you’re feeling the pressure of moving day approaching and the thought of packing up your whole house is daunting, using self-storage for some or even half of your belongings will allow for stress-free packing.
If you’re moving into a home that needs new flooring, it could be ideal to store your sofa, armchairs or coffee tables until after the work is done. If you don’t have a garage in your new property, placing the contents in storage until you decide on a plan for the items will help save on removal costs.
2. You Could Be In-between Homes
If you’ve sold your home or your contract is coming to an end on your flat, that period of finding a property can be stressful. 29% of storage customers said they were in between properties, while a further 9% said they’re moving and don’t have enough space in the new property.
Using self-storage during the in-between period means you don’t have to worry about moving your whole house to temporary accommodation. With the flexibility of storage facilities, you can have your items moved into your new home once everything is finalised.
3. Gives You True Flexibility
Moving house storage provides people with the flexibility they need during the process. With both long and short term storage options available, you can store single items for a week, or a house worth of belongings for years.
During a house move, storage allows you to keep your belongings safe and secure while you have important decisions to make. The convenience of storage means when you’re ready to move, you can collect your items and unpack them into your new home.
4. Helps Declutter for House Viewings
Decluttering your home for house viewings is a common trend. It helps the buyer to imagine their belongings in your property. 4% of storage customers claimed their items were in storage as they needed to declutter their home in order to sell it.
If your new home is going to be smaller than your current one, you’ll have to be cautious about what you can take with you. Decluttering your belongings into storage gives you time to work out whether there’ll be room in your new home for your prized possessions, as well as giving you space for the items if you wish to sell them.
5. Extra Security During a Move
Moving house can be chaotic, especially during the packing stage. When it comes to moving day, it’s easy to misplace important valuables. You don’t want the added worry of ensuring your items aren’t open to risk.
Storage offers a secure option for your valuables during the period around completion. You’ll know exactly where your items are at all times, and with our storage providers across the UK, they will be local.
6. Helps With Temporary Moves
If you’re going to be moving for work, it could be a temporary move, and you might not want to sell your current home or leave your items there unattended.
Self-storage is often the solution for this as you don’t have to worry about the security of your personal belongings. The flexibility that storage offers also means you can return your items home once your new contract is up.
7. Ideal For International Moves
International moves accounted for 15% of storage use in 2020/21 according to data from SSA’s UK Industry Report. Whether you’re moving permanently, temporarily or even part-time, moving all your personal belongings abroad can be costly.
It’s a good idea to leave some items in storage, especially if it’s not going to be a long term move or you plan on splitting your time between the UK and your international home.
8. Offers Variety of Options
There are different types of self-storage units you can use for your house storage, some might be more beneficial depending on the type of items you need storing.
1. Indoor units
Indoor self-storage units are the most common type of storage and are located inside the storage building where only you have access to your items. The main benefit of indoor storage is that the storage units will be safe, secure and out of the way from damaging weather.
2. Climate controlled units
Certain household items will benefit from being in a temperature-controlled storage unit, especially if you’re storing items for a long period of time. Wooden furniture poses a risk if it’s not in a climate-controlled storage unit as this could cause moisture issues.
3. Outdoor units
Outdoor units such as lock up garages are better suited for larger items such as cars, bikes or boats as you can just drive into your unit and park up. This could be ideal if your new home or temporary accommodation doesn’t have any parking or garage space.
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FAQs
We've answered some of the frequently asked questions about moving house storage.
How Much Storage Do I Need For a House Move?
The size of the storage unit you’ll need will depend on how many items you plan to put into storage. Below we list the amount of storage space you’ll need for the contents of a 1-bedroom flat, 2-bedroom flat, 2-bed house and a 3-bed house and the specific items it can fit.
1-bedroom flat - 50 sq.ft
- A few small cardboard boxes
- Twin/queen size mattress
- Small dressing table/bedside table
- Desk and chair
- 1 bicycle
- Electronics
2-bedroom flat - 75 sq.ft
- Medium cardboard boxes
- Dining table and chairs
- 2-3 seater sofa
- 2 double beds
- Wardrobe
- Chest of drawers
- Kitchen white goods
2-bed house - 100 sq.ft
- Lots of cardboard boxes of storage containers
- 2 queen-size beds
- Coffee tables and side tables
- Lamps
- Rugs
- Large appliances
- Garden equipment
- Dressing table
3-bed house - 125-150 sq.ft
- All of the above
- Contents of a 3-bed house
To learn more, read storage unit size guide.
How Much Does House Storage Cost?
Your total self-storage unit costs will depend on the size of the unit and how long you need it for. Below we have created a table to highlight the costs of a different range of storage unit sizes for weekly, monthly and 3 monthly periods.
Unit Size | Costs for 1 Week | Costs for 1 Month | Costs for 3 Months |
|---|---|---|---|
50 sq.ft | £23.02 | £99.75 | £299.25 |
75 sq.ft | £34.53 | £149.63 | £448.88 |
100 sq.ft | £46.04 | £199.50 | £598.50 |
125-150 sq.ft | £69.06 | £299.25 | £897.75 |
To learn more, read our guide on storage costs.
How to Pack and Protect your Items for Storage
Your storage provider will often offer packing boxes and materials to help transport your storage safely to the unit for an extra cost, but you can also do this yourself. The best way to pack for storage:
- Declutter
- Create an inventory
- Understand what will fit in your unit
- Categorise your storage
- Label your storage
To learn more, read our guide on packing for self storage.
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