If you need moving and storage services when moving house, what’s best, the storage your moving company offers or self storage? Generally speaking, self storage has popular appeal because of the cost. In most cases it’s cheaper. But is it the better of the two options? Here are the pros and cons for both.
Why would you need storage?
Long distance moves
Although New Zealand isn’t a large country, moving between cities or islands may mean you need temporary storage overnight or for a few days.
Downsizing
If you’re moving to a smaller property, you may need storage to deal with the excess items until you have the opportunity to sort everything out.
Delayed settlements
If you can’t take possession of your new property on the same day as you leave the old one, you may need storage until your settlement goes through.
Renovations
You may want to do renovation work to your property, which is always easier while it’s empty, and leave certain items in storage until you have finished.
The pros and cons of moving and storage vs self storage
There is only one disadvantage of moving and storage services when compared to self storage, and that is access to your belongings. While they are with us in storage, you’ll have very limited or no access to them until we deliver them to your new home. With self storage, you can access your belongings at any time.
What are the advantages of moving and storage services?
There’s no need to hire multiple service providers
With self storage, you will need to hire a moving company to collect your items, hire a storage facility and then a moving company again to collect and deliver them. When you add up those costs, you may end up paying more than a one-stop service. Our service is complete from end to end with no need for you to do anything.
The second advantage here is you also get the peace of mind you have one company to deal with in terms of standards of handling. If you choose self storage, you will have difficulty with accountability if any items get damaged.
Better protection while in storage
If you get your items delivered to a self storage facility, the moving company will remove any protective blankets, pads or protective equipment that belongs to the company. This means your furniture, in particular, won’t be covered or wrapped to keep it clean.
When these coverings are removed, your items are susceptible to damage from water, mould, mildew and pests. Many self storage units have similar standards of ventilation and pest control as our units, but you will pay more for these services.
We don’t remove these protective coverings while your items are in our storage facilities as this is part of our service, which means they will always be better protected.
Self storage units are also more likely to get break-ins as they are open to the public 24/7. Our facilities are not open to the public, so offer a much higher level of security.
In summary
Self storage is always the better option if you need complete access to your belongings while they are in storage. If you want peace of mind with insurance, better protection and security, and a single service provider to manage everything, then consider moving company storage as your first option. It may also not be as expensive as you think.
