What to Look for when Choosing a Storage Facility

My family and I recently moved from Pennsylvania to Western Maryland, during the time between we had stored our stuff in storage. Thankfully we had insurance on our belongings because some things got stolen and other stuff was damaged from mice and covered in mice droppings. For the price we paid, a little over $250 per month, I am very upset and I would hate for this to happen to anyone else. We are still awaiting the insurance investigation to receive compensation.

First and foremost, always get insurance on whatever you are storing. It is well worth the few dollars to have peace of mind that if something happens to your stuff you will be able to replace it. Be sure to know what kind of things the insurance will cover also.

Looks can be a little deceiving because had we known that the place wasn't secure or was infested with rodents we would never had stored our stuff there. Definitely look for a place that someone you know has used or look online to see any reviews on the place you are looking at.

Make sure you store your things well, put things in boxes and seal them with tape. I learned my lesson with having things in crates and bags. Hopefully this will lessen any damage that might happen to your stuff. You may also want to consider taking stuff that is priceless like wedding pictures, baby pictures, or stuff that can't be replaced with you.

Even after the manager saw the damage to our stuff we still had to pay for the month we used. Make sure that if your stuff is damaged you should take pictures of the damage and the storage units before you remove your stuff if you plan on taking it at all. Be sure to keep all your paperwork as well, your insurance company may need it for you claim.

As for having your things stolen, be sure you call the police to file a report. Someone had broken the lock to our unit, the management of the storage unit we had replaced the lock, but of course they didn't call us! So if you are going to be out of town, maybe you have someone you trust check your storage unit every once in a while.

You certainly can't predict what might happen or be able to prevent bad things from happening, but you can be prepared. Take precautions and try to learn from my mistakes, we definitely will be more cautious when storing everything we own into a storage unit.