Long-distance moves can sometimes take you from one climate to another. When you are moving from somewhere warm to somewhere cold, there are several things that you should consider for the move. My blog will provide you with information that will help you get through this big change with few problems. You will learn about how to pack up your things to protect them from the change in temperatures and what you should pack in your vehicle so that you have it readily accessible while you make the trip from your old home all the way to the new one.
The self storage industry pulls in about $22 billion annually thanks to consumerism, so don't be surprised when you find your home getting too cluttered to the point where you need additional storage space. If your home would benefit from some extra storage space, but you don't need that much space yet, you might want to consider sharing a storage unit with some family members or friends in order to cut down on the actual cost. In a perfect world, everything will go smoothly. Unfortunately, this may not always be the case in reality. Below are 3 tips on how to share a storage unit without running into stressful complications.
Implement Appropriate Security Measures
You'd be surprised at just how easy it is to break into a storage unit. Your valuables and items are vulnerable to being stolen. In fact, 7% of storage facilities surveyed in 2012 had reported break-ins or thefts in the previous year. If you are sharing a storage unit with a family member or a friend, your unit will become even more vulnerable because other people will have a key into your unit.
To protect your unit, make sure you choose a storage facility that takes pride in its security system. This means that the facility should have surveillance cameras installed at every corner of the place, have security guards patrolling the area, especially after dark, and also a log book that records everyone who enters and exits the facility. The storage facility should also only allow authorized individuals to access your unit. Make sure you provide detailed information regarding the personal information of those who you are sharing a unit with. Also, make sure to install either cylinder locks or disc locks onto your unit, as they tend to be the most secure.
Divide the Unit Into Different Aisles
Having to go through piles of stuff, like cardboard boxes or bags filled with clothes, can be quite a headache. Finding what you're looking for at your storage unit does not have to be a full-day event, especially if you and the people who you share the unit with are organized. The easiest way to sharing a unit is to divide it into different aisles. Draw out which areas are designated to whom. In addition, everyone should store their items properly with labels and in an aisle format, so that it is easy for everyone to get around the unit without tripping over any messes.
Set Up Billing Options
There are many different ways that you may want to divide the bill. For example, everyone may decide to split the bill equally. However, if one individual is using up a lot more space than others who are also sharing the unit, a more reasonable or fair option may be to split the bill based on the amount of space that is used.
Instead of having one person responsible for paying the bill and collecting money from everybody else, you might want to see if the storage facility would be open to setting up different billing options for your group. After you have all decided how much each individual is paying, you can let the storage facility know the amount that should be charged to each individual. If the storage facility is open to setting up separate billing for each individual sharing the unit, it'll be a lot less hassle for you and everyone involved. Do keep in mind that everyone will be on the hook for the total amount of the bill should anyone not pay their portion.
If you don't have a lot of things that you need to keep in storage, the logical thing to do is to call up any family members or friends that may be in the same situation and discussing whether sharing a unit together may be a good idea. Be selective with who you call. You want to make sure you can count on these people to pay their bills on time, and to also keep the storage unit as clean as possible. To learn more about sharing a unit, talk to a storage company like Carolina Self Storage.
Share19 January 2016
