A very skilled and experienced mover will be able to give a close approximation as to what storage size will be needed by viewing the items in person. However, this is only an estimate and it is made clear to the customer that the actual size of storage that will be needed will not be known until all of the items are loaded onto the truck.

After all of the items are on the truck, then the foreman will measure how much room is taken up on the truck (or how much room is empty on the truck). At that time the foreman can confirm the actual storage size.

Our full service storage solutions are not designed to have customers access their items on a regular basis, as our insurance policy limits access to untrained employees into the storage space for safety reasons. However, in the rare instance that a customer does need something in their storage unit we can either A) Have the customer describe the item to us and we can have an employee gather the item(s) and the employee can pick it up at our office. Or B) The customer can set up an appointment with us and pay a $75 storage access fee, which goes towards having a trained and licensed employee accompany you throughout the storage space the entire time, which is mandated by our insurance policy.

Storage unit, One stop moving and storage

There are two main types of storage services: self service and full service. The main difference is who is liable or responsible for the storage unit and everything in it, and therefore, the price to the customer.

Self storage is a great option for people who are looking for permanent storage solutions that they can access on a regular basis to retrieve seasonal items. The customer typically finds a self storage place that is conveniently located for them and they will tell the storage company what size unit they would like. It is important that you have the accurate size of storage unit that you will need, otherwise you will end up paying for space that you are not using, or will not have enough room for all of your items. Then the customer is responsible for holding onto the key to the storage unit and for loading their items into the unit. There are heavy fines and security risks with lost keys so it is important that this is kept in a safe place. It is the customer’s responsibility to make sure they load the storage unit properly, making sure that the sliding door is clear of any objects, that the items are stacked appropriately so that the items on the bottom do not get ruined and/or nothing falls over.

Moving companies often move people into or out of their own self storage units. In this case, the customer needs to rent the storage unit ahead of time, and then meet the moving crew at the storage unit to unlock it, monitor the moving process, and then lock it back up again after the unit has been loaded. The customer owns all the liability in this instance, as the storage contract is between the customer and the self storage company.

Full service storage options are typically utilized when people have items that they need to store in-between a move and usually do not need to access these items until they are ready for the items to be moved into their new location. An example of this is when someone is moving from a large house to an apartment for a few months, and then back into a larger house again. As the name suggests, the customer does not need to do anything to access the storage, nor do they need to monitor the loading and unloading of the storage unit. The customer signs the storage contract before the moving company loads all of their items into the moving truck. When all the items are loaded onto the truck, the customer will pay the moving company for the work performed that day and the transaction is done for the day. The movers will take the loaded truck to a storage warehouse or facility that is owned by the moving company and they will unload it into the assigned spot.

This storage solution is not made for the customer to access their items on a regular basis, as insurance dictates that only trained employees of the moving company are allowed in the storage space for safety reasons. If access is needed, there is typically an access fee to the customer and an appointment needs to be set up so an employee can be with the customer while they are accessing their storage space.

When the customer would like all of their items delivered to their new location they call the moving company and set a date for the move. On that date the moving company meets the customer at their house and delivers their items. The moving company owns all the liability and risk of the storage space and the items within it. For this reason, the full service storage options tend to have a higher monthly storage rate than self storage units.