By Katie Blumenberg, Multi Site Manager for Leader Storage 

In Storage Tips 101, Part One, I covered tips for selecting the facility and unit that matches your unique needs and accessing your unit. In the second part of this post, I will discuss steps to take to ensure your items are being stored properly and how to care for your items throughout the rental process. I will also cover some of the important lease terms to look for in order to avoid any potential issues.  Knowing what to look for in the terms of your lease can save you a lot of confusion later.  

Storing Your Items Properly and Caring for Your Items While They are in Storage 

If you are spending the resources associated with storing your items, you may also want to make sure that you are storing them properly and caring for them while they are in storage.  Follow the tips below to assist you in doing so.  

• You may want to think about using totes instead of boxes:  Totes are a better storage option as they are more durable and stackable than boxes. 
• Keep items at least an inch from the wall: If the temperature changes frequently in the geographical area of your storage facility, keeping items an inch from the wall can be helpful.  Most facilities are made of steel buildings and therefore can be sensitive to condensation when the temperature changes dramatically.  To keep your items from being exposed to the condensation, simply keep space between the walls of the unit and your items. 
• Consider using a tarp to cover the floor of the unit:  For the same reason above, putting a tarp down on the floor may be something you want to think about. 
• Visit the unit often and check on your items: If you have the option, check on your items at least once or so a month to ensure the unit hasn’t experienced any damage or issues. 
• Consider using a moisture control product: Products like Damp Rid or cat litter can be helpful to absorb any moisture in the air that may be caused by things such as dramatic temperature changes outside. 
• Leave an aisle way in your unit: If possible, leave a small aisle way in your unit to access your items with more ease. This can be especially helpful if you will need to access items such as holiday décor and you don’t want to go through the extra hassle of struggling to reach items in the back of the unit. 
• Review the facilities prohibited items list to make sure you aren’t storing forbidden items: Items such as food, pet food, flammables, explosives and anything illegal are usually strictly prohibited. It is very important to avoid storing pantry items and pet food as these items can attract pests. 

Getting to Know the Terms of Your Lease: 

Understanding your lease terms is so important.  Leases cover a lot of information such as what the tenant is responsible for, billing dates, past due procedures, vacating procedures and more. I strongly encourage you to review your lease as soon as you get the opportunity and if there is any section that you are unclear about, contact the facility to clarify any questions that you may have.  In this section of the post, I will cover the lease terms and questions that come up most frequently with our customers.  These terms are still going to be facility specific and do not serve in place of reviewing the terms of your actual lease. 

• Familiarize yourself with your due date:  Some facilities base the due date off of the tenant’s move in date and some have first of the month billing.  It is important to know when your bill is due, how you will be invoiced, what options you have for making payments and if there is a grace period for late payments.
• Look for past due procedures: Storage facilities can deny access to the facility and to the unit by over locking the unit when the payment becomes a certain amount of days past dues.  Storage facilities may also start default and auction proceedings when a unit is a certain number of days past due.  The number of days past due in which these steps take place vary by facility and must be in accordance with the state law of the facility.  The lease will cover all of this information and it is important to know it in case you find yourself falling behind on payments.  Communicating any late payments or financial hardships to the facility may be helpful. 
• Understand the vacating policy: Most facilities require written notice for vacating.  It is important to understand how soon in advanced your notice should be, proper way to give notice and any other procedures necessary for the move out process.  One thing to keep in mind is that in most cases and as long as it is possible, it is best to empty the unit right before your next billing date as most facilities do not prorate or refund partial months of rent.  
• know the Insurance Requirements: Most facilities require that their tenants have some sort of insurance to cover the contents of their unit.  Most facilities offer insurance through a third party for you to purchase or some facilities will allow for you to use your own private insurance. It is important to understand what types of incidents are covered by the insurance provider whether it be through your own personal insurance or insurance offered through the facility. If you need to provide proof of insurance, make sure you know where to send a copy of your insurance information to. 

I hope that you found the information in this post to be useful.  You may also visit our other blog posts for other practical, storage related information.