A business needs more than a room that fits its goods. Check how the goods will move in and out. Location, condition, price, security and the rental agreement still matter, just as they do for any renter. This guide covers the extra questions about stock, tools, deliveries and employee access.
For the general checks, read our guide to choosing a storage facility. A business also needs to check five things:
No single order suits every business. One useful way to compare units is to follow the goods through a normal week. Start with the usual arrival time and vehicle, then follow the goods from the gate to the unit and back out again.
Priorities depend on what the business stores and how often people visit. Frequent deliveries make access and loading more important. If valuable stock stays in the unit longer, conditions and insurance matter more. Rate each point after every visit so the facilities are easier to compare.
Office hours and unit access hours may differ. Office hours tell you when staff can help, while access hours tell you when employees can collect or return goods. Note the earliest and latest times you may need the unit, including routine collections and urgent visits.
Check access hours on weekdays, Fridays and public holidays, and whenever working hours change. Make sure they match the times your business needs the unit.
Get the access hours and answers in writing. If possible, visit at the time you expect to use the unit. Traffic, parking or a shared loading area may slow you down. Decide who manages employee access and removes it when someone changes jobs or leaves.
Do not assume a supplier can send goods to the storage facility. A facility may let the vehicle in but refuse to sign for, hold or move the goods. Ask before giving a supplier the address.
If the business depends on deliveries, get every answer in writing. Give each supplier the right address, contact details and delivery instructions. Unclear directions can turn a planned delivery into a lost working day.
Agree on who will check the quantity and condition of the goods. A signed delivery note may only confirm that the delivery arrived, not that every item is present and undamaged.
Walk the whole route with the largest load you normally move. A clear path may become awkward with a full trolley. Start at the gate in the usual vehicle. Can it turn, stop and unload without blocking another customer?
Make sure a pallet fits along the whole route and the right lifting equipment is available. An upper-floor unit can work if the lift is reliable and fits a loaded trolley. Driving up to the unit shortens the route, but you load closer to outdoor heat and dust.
Use the goods you actually store for the test. A box of clothes, a long ladder and a heavy machine case present different problems. If possible, try one typical load before renting. It may reveal a tight corner, an unsuitable trolley or a slow lift.
A storage unit is usually for goods, not daily work. Assume there is no power you can use unless the facility says otherwise. Ask about lighting separately because a light does not mean you can use a socket.
Ask before charging batteries, running equipment, packing orders or using tools. A visible socket does not mean customers may use it.
Some facilities rent offices or workspaces as a separate product. These spaces have their own terms, access, services and prices. If employees need to work there every day, or if the work requires power, internet or customer visits, the business needs a different kind of space.
Ask before putting the facility's address on business paperwork, supplier records or customer information. The facility may accept deliveries but not let you use its address as your business address. Work out the kind of address your business needs, then ask whether the facility allows that use.
Also ask whether the rental agreement and invoices can show the company's correct name and details. Bookkeeping becomes harder when storage invoices for company goods are issued in an employee's name.
Keep delivery instructions separate from the address shown to customers. Drivers need practical directions to the right entrance, while customers may need a different contact address.
Household cover and business stock cover are different. Ask whether the business's current policy covers goods away from its main premises. Then ask what any plan offered by the facility covers and excludes, and what limits apply.
Stock values can rise during busy periods. Keep purchase records, photographs, serial numbers and stock counts outside the unit, and update the recorded value when stock changes sharply. Cover that suited a quiet month may be too low after a large delivery.
Our storage insurance guide explains the general questions to ask about cover. The business should still check its own policy for stock it plans to sell, tools and equipment.
Choose a size for the next six to twelve months, not just for today's stock. Leave room for likely growth without paying for a mostly empty unit. Measure the goods and keep a clear, safe route to anything staff use often. Floor area alone does not show how easy those goods are to reach.
You can only move if another suitable unit is available. Check the written terms for price, promotions, the rental period and notice.
When comparing business storage, see Wadaya's storage units and follow the route your goods will take from the vehicle to the door.
The unit itself may be the same as a household unit. A business also needs to manage access, deliveries, loading, company invoices, insurance and changing stock.
Some facilities accept deliveries, while others require someone from the business to attend. Ask what will happen before a supplier delivers.
Do not assume so. Check what address the business needs and what the facility permits.
A facility may let employees load and sort during short visits but not work there all day. Ask what activities it permits.
Policies differ. Ask whether the cover applies to stock away from the main premises, and check the limits and exclusions.
It may be possible if another unit is available. Ask how a move would affect the price, billing and notice.