Three D’s of self storage…
There are many reasons why you might need to use a self storage unit. Perhaps you’re moving house and need to store your soft furnishings until your new home is decorated and ready to move into properly; maybe you’re super-organised and want to put away your summer clothes now that the Autumn weather is on its way, to make room for your winter wardrobe; maybe your children are starting university and you need somewhere to keep their stuff during the holiday periods;
There are three reasons however which are particularly common: “the three D’s”…
Downsizing
Moving from a larger home into a smaller one naturally means that you’ll have less space for all the belongings you’ve amassed over the years. Many of our customers are people who have retired and moved into smaller, more manageable homes, and others are parents of grown-up children who no longer need as many bedrooms. They’re looking for somewhere to store those belongings that no longer fit into their home but that they don’t want to sell or give away yet.
Items of furniture that don’t fit the space available can be hard to part with, particularly if they have sentimental or significant monetary value. Furniture that you don’t have room for anymore can also still have huge potential practical value for your loved ones: if your children or grandchildren are not yet settled in their own homes, it’s possible that they may need to use your spare beds or wardrobes when they get their own places. Keeping that furniture safe and dry in the meantime could really help out, financially, at a time when your children or grandchildren have had to pay legal and moving fees as well as a hefty deposit on a new home.
Divorce
Alas, divorce is a common event for many people and necessarily involves a move for one or both spouses. Even the swiftest divorce proceedings take 3 – 6 months with a fair wind, and until they are concluded it can be difficult to finalise financial arrangements and agree who will live where. Many separating couples move into temporary, rented accommodation pending a resolution of their financial affairs.
If you have to move into a smaller property or into furnished, rented accommodation, you will probably have possessions that you don’t have room for in your new place. Like the ownership of the matrimonial home itself, you and your ex may not agree on who will get what furniture in the early days, but you shouldn’t forget that you will ultimately need to furnish your own home in the long term. Even if you don’t have room for them now, you should still try to keep what you’ll eventually need after the dust has settled. A bed, wardrobe, chairs, as well as personal items such as clothing can all be safely stored in one of our self storage units until you have space for them again.
Death
Death is never easy to accept, and as well as coping with the emotional aspects of losing a loved one you may have to deal with practical issues too. Sorting through the home of a deceased relative is not something any of us would choose to do, but it will be necessary in order to wind up their estate. It can take time, and it can also be very difficult, in the midst of grief, to know exactly what to sell and what to keep. There may be items of furniture that you can’t use right now, but will probably need in the future – selling them now will mean that replacements will have to be purchased at a later date.
If you’ve lost someone close to you, there may also be items of sentimental value that you want to keep to remember them by: their favourite chair; a picture that always hung in their living room; blankets or items of clothing that still hold their scent. Giving those things away or selling them might be unbearable. Storing them somewhere dry and clean will give you time to decide whether or not to keep your loved one’s belongings in the long run