#DebunkingSelfStorageMyths
The first question everybody asks about self storage, apart from “What’s Self Storage?” *(see below) is “How much does self storage cost?” or “How much is self storage per month?” or, more often now, during the current cost of living crisis, “Why is self storage so expensive?” So let’s go straight to the money question and start fact checking a few of the half-truths you may have heard.
*What’s Self Storage?
A self storage unit is a safe, secure rental space where you can keep any possessions you haven’t got room for in your home. It’s a way of creating more space in your life than Elon Musk currently offers or Brian Cox could ever D-ream of. A storage unit at Attic lets you squirrel away your summer clothes every winter, put your winter wardrobe on ice for the summer, and free up your living space all year round.
MYTH #1: SELF STORAGE COSTS A FORTUNE
We could try and pull the wool over your eyes and suggest that storing stuff is cheap as chips, but even chips aren’t cheap anymore (£2.50 for a small portion last time we checked). Everything is expensive in London. But renting a self storage unit costs a lot less than going up a floor, digging out the basement or creating a mezzanine level in your front room.
Most modern flats don’t have high enough ceilings for mezzanine levels anyway, so Attic Self Storage provides a much smarter, financially astute way of increasing your cupboard space, freeing up room in your hallway or shifting some of the clutter out of your life.
You’ll get more for your money by renting a one bed flat with a storage facility nearby rather than a two bed, three bed or a detached cottage with a garden and a shed.
MYTH #2: SELF STORAGE IS COLD, DAMP & GLOOMY
All our branches are constructed to the most exacting hi-tec right-on eco-friendly building standards. Attic’s self storage facilities are clean, bright and modern, not dirty, dark and decrepit. Energy saving internal lights spring to life magically when you walk down the corridor and gently go back to sleep when there’s no one about. Take our virtual reality tour to see exactly how futuristic storage can be.
Attic Self Storage is open 24/7, 365 days a year. And when our staff are on duty (8am to 6pm every day) there’s always a friendly fellow human to offer help, tell a joke or share a cuppa with. We also have comfy chairs and TV screens in our reception areas, well appointed toilets and reassuring radio played over the PA system, so you’re never really alone.
MYTH #3: SELF STORAGE UNITS ARE MILES FROM ANYWHERE
We don’t believe you should have to travel halfway across London to visit your precious possessions. Why settle for a unit that’s isolated and bloody inconvenient to get to, when you can choose one that’s right on your doorstep and easy to access? Attic Self Storage branches are in prime locations across the capital, from Harrow in the wild west to Beckton in the far east.
All the packaging material you need for moving or storing your possessions is right there on site – cardboard boxes, storage tubs, packaging tape, bubble wrap, ties, trolleys and lifts. No need to go anywhere else. Enter your postcode in the store finder on our website and we’ll tell you exactly where your local Attic is located.
MYTH #4: SELF STORAGE IS FOR VILLAINS
Admittedly, East End lock ups, back-street storage units and garages under the railway arches have had a long association with stolen bullion, hooky clothing (Stone Thailand) and gangs growing exotic plants under hydroponic lamps.
However, Your Honour, we’re proud to state for the record that Attic Self Storage takes the provision of safe, super-secure, fully insured, legally protected, CCTV-monitored storage space very seriously. We don’t do business with criminals, gangsters or thieves (including those importing boxes of faulty PPE via trust funds in the Caymans).
We insist on keeping everything all above board, all under one roof. Attic storage facilities are “proper safe as houses, guv”, if the houses you’re talking about have got security barriers, pin-code entry systems, and cameras covering every inch of the gaff.
MYTH #5: SELF STORAGE FACILITIES ARE HAUNTED
In our experience, and bearing in mind that our corridors are CCTV monitored throughout the night, we have never seen anything to suggest that ghouls, ghosts or malevolent spirits choose to use Attic Self Storage facilities as a place to communicate with the living. No apparitions, trolleys moving of their own accord or Victorian children dressed as chimney sweeps wailing for a living wage. The vibes in every Attic are fundamentally positive, relaxing and life affirming.
On a more sombre note, a storage unit is something of a blessing if you have to deal with the clearing of a property when a loved one dies, or a distant relative passes away leaving you their entire collection of ventriloquist dummies or creepy porcelain dolls.
MYTH #6: SELF STORAGE IS A MAGNET FOR HOARDERS
Don’t believe everything you see on ‘STORAGE WAR$’ or in sensationalist news reports about people with Hoarding Disorder, 56 feral cats and a bungalow stuffed with every copy of the Evening Standard since 1980. Most of our customers are regular Londoners, just like you and I. Busy people, with their own foibles, desperate to create a bit more space in their lives.
Attic customers don’t fit into a neat little box. Far from it. We’ve got mums with toddlers, men with white vans, market traders, teachers, students, nurses, accountants, antiques dealers, personal trainers, body builders, house builders, plumbers, plasterers, electricians, beauticians, musicians, and the occasional groovy social media influencer with turquoise hair and “zen hacks” for Feng Shuing your bedroom.
Whatever you do for a living, an Attic Self Storage unit can positively impact the space you live in.
MYTH #7 SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES DON’T DO STORAGE
Document storage, archive storage, commercial storage. We provide bespoke, flexible options for more and more business owners – from our simple parcel receipt and delivery service… through comfy co-working space office pods where you can sit down, plug in and grow your business online… right the way up to becoming a full-scale Central Distribution Hub for The Universal Mega Corporation™ that your small business is undoubtedly going to grow into.
Whether you’re looking for personal storage for a couple of months or business storage that can scale up over years, our contracts are more flexible than a gymnast in a lycra catsuit.
MYTH #8: SELF STORAGE IS A PAIN TO ORGANISE
Getting yourself into self storage doesn’t need to be a daunting process. If you want an accurate quote or additional information right now, please visit our website for a size guide, price list, virtual reality tour or live chat with one of our storage experts. You can pretty much do the whole thing online nowadays. Of course, if you’d rather see exactly what you’re getting into before you make a decision, pop into any branch of Attic and meet the A-team face to face. You can expect a warm welcome, a genuine smile, a free tour and nothing but straight advice. We truly believe “Honesty is the best policy”, and we’ll look you straight in the eye when we say it.
Posted on 13th March 2023 by Shanaiqua Desa
