Anyone ever rent a storage unit?

I'm considering renting a storage unit. I have never used one before so have absolutely no idea on how it works, what to look into, what to ask, etc. I'm going to be selling my house later this year and I have a lot of furniture in my basement. I refinish furniture. Some I can sell but I'm sure I won't get it all done and sold this summer. I think it would be better to be showing the house without a basement full of "stuff". There will probably be other stuff I can store too, to make sure the house doesn't look cluttered at all. Seasonal stuff, things like that. Has any one rented one and what should I ask other then price? Do they usually offer weekly, monthly, etc rates? I don't even know what kind of price they might be or what sizes are available. Do you just get a key and can come and go whenever? I know, lots of questions but I've no idea on how they work. Thanks for any info any one can offer. :)

We have one for my BF's work, a lot depends on what you need it for

Some are 24hrs, some have hours. Some have a check in where they open it for you, others you have the key at all times (and some you have the key but still check in to get through a gate)

Sizes, at least here, differ a lot between the companies and they all have completely different pricing (based on if they are open 24/7, have security, are heated etc). They have all kinds of lease times, by the week/month/year, obviously its cheaper per week the longer you rent it for

If you are going to have your furniture etc in there, I would recommend a temperature controlled one

We pay $70 a month for the largest one they have, based on a year lease, heated/AC, alarm on the door, keycard to get into the compound and 24/7 security, there was one that was cheaper but that one is convenient for him

Thanks. I'm thinking it just might be a good idea. I'll check into it.

Might I suggest lots of moth balls and or mouse traps.

I don't know much about it...but I think I'd spend a little more to get a climate controlled one so that your stuff doesn't get ruined.

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Originally Posted by Sally888

Might I suggest lots of moth balls and or mouse traps.

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Does this mean they are usually smelly and prone to critter infestations? Hmmm.

The one we go to has a raised floor to cut down on critters and they are all inside a warehouse but the ones that are basically garages can be full of spiders and other nasties

None of the ones we looked at smelled, but non climate controlled ones can be damp

I agree with the above posters. You really need to shop around and look at the space. We've rented storage units to de-clutter our house before listing. Both times we were told by the rental places to put pallets on the floor just in case of water leaking under the doors (from snow and rain).

Try the company Public Storage, I used them for 2 months and found it very good.

I just rented one the other day from Public Storage - very clean and well-run. My unit is as climate controlled as any garage attached to a house, fits about a studio apartment's worth of furniture if you stack all items to the top of the unit. It is $109 / month (downtown Toronto) and you can buy insurance if you want. I rented the smallest sized unit and there are other bigger ones (more money). You need a lock which they will sell you or you can bring your own.
I suggest packing boxes or some sort of uniform containers to store most of the stuff in, that way you can max the space, though furniture is a different story however.
If you look them up on the web there may still be a "half off first month" coupon - I used this and they happily applied it to my first 4 week period.
Good luck with the house, that's actually one of the reasons I moved some of my stuff out too.

We used one last yr when we were selling too! We paid $100 for a fairly large unit. We stored stuff from June- Sept in a cement based unit/climate controlled. We saw NO evidence of bugs, rodents or insects ...Thank God! Friends stored stuff at a no-climate controlled one over the summer and there was TONS of mold and mildew on their stuff

As soon as someone mentions storage lockers I think of Storage Wars on A&E and can hear Dave yell YEEEEEEUP!