People are by nature hoarders. We don’t like to throw things away because we never know when a ticket stub for the movie Bad Boys, the first one, is going to come in handy, so we keep it in our wallets. We’re like that with everything and so we often end up with far more things than we know what to do with. When we move house we are confronted with just how bad the situation is, and this would be the ideal opportunity to get rid of everything that is superfluous and basically, junk. Some of us really battle with making those decisions though and then the option of renting a storeroom becomes a little lifesaver. Self-storage facilities have, of course, far more important purposes than merely holding excess junk, but for some people that reason is reason enough.
Self-storage facilities usually lease space to individuals or small businesses on a monthly basis. Current industry surveys indicate that 44% of those who rent storage facilities are those who are moving house, 31% simply need more space than they have in their homes, 7% are students or in the military and 18% are business related. What they store is up to them so long as it is non-hazardous, non-toxic and non-perishable or flammable. They can stock furniture, motorcycles and in the case of small businesses, overstocked wares. Customers are, however, prohibited from sleeping or living in the facilities. This is due to the general poor air circulation and lack of sanitation. Each individual rented space is known as a “unit” and has its own lock and key, which is in the sole possession of the owner. Those who own and operate the facilities do not have access to the units. They are, however, responsible for the safety and security of the units and may use security cameras, security guards, alarms, and a controlled access system in an effort to keep trouble out. If customers don’t pay rent consecutively a lien is placed on their goods and the goods are then auctioned off to recoup costs, if a profit is made then that is simply an added benefit.
Unit sizes vary, there is very small, about the size of a walk in closet, 10 feet x 5 feet. There is medium, which is roughly the size of a child’s bedroom, 10 feet x 10 feet. There is big, which is round about the size of a one car garage, 10 feet x 20 feet and there is large, which comes is at around the size of a two car garage, 20 feet x 20 feet. A roll up metal door usually serves as the only entrance.
A report that was released in June 2006, by Mintel Consulting and the Self Storage Association of the United Kingdom revealed that there is approximately 1.6 billion rentable square feet of space available in the USA, while in Australasia there is only 22 million square feet of rentable space available and in the UK there is 20 million. In the USA there are roughly 41,000 self-storage facilities, in Australasia 1000 and in the UK 600.
In self-storage, humidity control is more important than temperature control. This is important to prevent fungus, mould, mildew and other moisture problems from occurring and damaging the items stored. Humidity is usually set at 50% while the temperature is set at 50 to 80 degrees (Fahrenheit). Some operators have added special areas in their facilities to cater for goods with special needs such as wine. A cold storage facility caters specifically for goods that need very low temperatures to prevent them from spoiling like flowers, meat and vegetables.
Self-storage facilities are remarkably useful when you think about it. How much stuff do you collect over an entire lifetime? The reason that you collect most of it is because you like it, it appeals to you, you want it. It would be a pity to have to get rid of it simply because of a lack of space. Self-storage allows you to keep all the things that are meaningful to you, but that might not be that meaningful to your spouse and that are therefore vetoed when it comes to moving into a smaller place. As a closing point, there is a TV show called The First 48, which follows homicide detectives around as they investigate during the first 48 hours after a murder has been committed, because the first 48 are the most important. In one episode a body was found in a self-storage facility. That is not what they are there for! Bodies are perishable, and probably toxic if left too long. That violates two storage laws and that’s two too many.
Recommended site:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self_storage
