Planning for Long-Term Storage

Many times in our lives there are situations that pop up where we need to be out of town or even out of the country for an extended period of time; a military deployment, a religious mission or extended vacation for example. This can create a bit of stress and panic within you when you think of all the things you do from day to day, week to week or even month to month. You ask yourself, “How can I handle all this before I leave?” and “What about my storage unit while I’m gone?”

Don’t fret! We have a few ideas that may help you get through this overwhelming time in your life. It’s better to be prepared and take care of some important items now before your departure. By following our tips, your storage unit can be one less thing you have to worry about.

Check On Your Storage Unit Before You Leave.

We suggest that you check on your storage unit at least several times a year. Doing this when the seasons change is a guaranteed way to ensure you check your valuables at least four times per year, which is optimal. If you are going to be away for a long period of time, check on your unit before you head out, even if you were just there a month ago. It’s best to make sure all is good now since you won’t be around to check it your belongings for a while:

  • Check for crushed and sagging boxes and replace them if necessary. If you have those free grocery store boxes to hold your stuff, it may be best to replace them with our high quality boxes to prevent any future damage. You can purchase a variety of box sizes and types inside our rental office. Our boxes are specially designed for long periods of time in storage, and will prevent sagging, crushing and mildew.
  • Check for damaged or broken items. If you had a stack of boxes or something heavy fall over onto other items, be sure to remove and dispose of the broken things now. Then, re-stack and organize your storage unit to prevent that from happening again while you are away.
  • If you will be away during the hot summer months, consider adding something like DampRid® to help pull the excess moisture out of the air and prevent mildew and mold build up.

Set Payment Reminders.

If you will be out of town for a while and not able to easily make your monthly storage payment; you should set a reminder on your smartphone for the first of the month, and make it a recurring one. You can choose to call your payment in to the property managers, or go online and make your payment through our payment portal.

Another option would be to mail in your payment a week early if you are out of state, or at least three weeks in advance if you are out of the country (or even earlier). Remember to make sure to send it early enough so that it will arrive at the rental office before the fifth of the month. The last thing you need to think about while you are away is late fees!

Set Up Automatic Payments.

Many of our customers have their payment deducted automatically on the first of the month from their bank account or charged to their credit card. You can set this up directly through your bank, as most banks if not all of them, offer this feature these days. Or, you can set up the automatic payment option through your online account, and it will charge your credit or debit card on the first of the month. If you set up automatic payments this way, it will continue until you turn them off. If doing this online is not your thing, you can also visit the rental office and set up automatic payments with the property managers. Automatic payments are a great way to ensure your rent is paid on time, no matter where you are in the world.

Pay Several Months In Advance.

If you know you will be gone for a specific amount of time, you can prepay for that many months now. You can bring your payment into the office, mail in the payment or select the number of months you want to prepay through your online account. By doing this, you can simply forget about your payments while you are away, since they will already be taken care of before you leave.

What happens if you end up being gone longer than planned? You need to make sure you take care of any future payments on time that have not already been paid. To avoid this, you can tack on an additional month or two just to be safe, or ask a relative to make your payment for you until you get back. You never know if you will be stuck due to flight delays and cancellations, or if your plans suddenly change. Have a plan in place for the unexpected.

By following these simple tips, you can rest assured that your storage rent will be handled and your belongings will be safe and secure while you are away. So go ahead and plan that trip or set sail on your adventure, and don’t worry about a thing!

If you have some tips you can share about storing for long periods of time, please share them below. If you have questions about long-term storage, you can contact us or reach out to our property managers for advice. And, if you need to secure a storage unit now because you’ll be away for an extended period of time, you can rent one online today and be prepared!