1. You need to declutter before moving day

In the run-up to moving day, you’ll begin to appreciate just how much stuff you actually own! Bearing in mind that removals companies charge by how long it will take to pack up your belongings and how many journeys will need to be made, it makes sense to declutter your house as much as possible. Moving some items yourself into self storage in advance will reduce moving time and costs.

By decluttering, you’ll also be able to see what ‘basics’ you’re left with and how they’ll fit into your new home. Once you’re settled in your new home you can make an informed decision about what you want to keep in the long term and what you are prepared to sell or give away.

2. You might find yourself ‘between houses’

Sometimes it can be easier to sell your own home first (or give notice on your tenancy), then rent a house or stay with family until you can find and move into your new home. That way, you can sell your home quickly without having to ask the buyers to delay and risk the sale falling through.

If you do, bear in mind that your temporary accommodation may not have room for all of your furniture, particularly if it’s furnished or part-furnished - and unpacking out-of-season clothing, photo albums and books is a lot of work if you’re not planning to stay for long. If you’re staying with family, they won’t thank you for bringing the entire contents of your home, either! It makes sense to put everything except your day-to-day essentials into storage until you’re settled for the long term. Remember, our insurance will only cover the replacement value new for old for items but nothing for items which are irreplaceable or of personal sentimental value.

3. There’s an unplanned problem on moving day

When moving house, timing is of crucial importance and doesn’t always go to plan, especially if you’re buying and there’s a chain. All it takes is for one person to have a problem with their mortgage approval or removals company and it can all come crashing down! So what if something unexpected goes wrong at the last minute?

You should always have a Plan B.

If there’s a major problem pack your essentials in your car - our moving house checklist can help you decide what you’ll need - and stay in a hotel or with family for a night or two until the problem is resolved. You can put almost everything into a clean, dry, secure self storage unit for as long as you need until you can move into your new home at last.

If you mentally plan to move all but the bare essentials into self storage in an emergency you’ll cope much better than if you’re left floundering at the kerbside with the removals company charging by the hour. Give us a call and find out how cheaply you can store your belongings at N.E.S.S.

4. You want to unpack slowly

It’s perfectly understandable that you’ll want to move in and get settled as quickly as possible after moving day. But waiting to unpack everything when you first move in certainly has its advantages - you can clean your new house properly and take some time to plan exactly how you’ll use each room. Keeping all but the basics in self storage for a few days or even weeks is highly efficient and you’ll feel more in control in an otherwise stressful situation.

5. Your new home needs some TLC

Your new house may well need some renovations and/or redecorating for it to feel like home. You might be planning to knock the dining room through into the kitchen, repurpose existing rooms, paint the walls or fit new carpets, for example.

You’ll find it much easier to get everything done without having to move (and protect) all your furniture and personal belongings. Take the essentials with you, and store almost everything else with N.E.S.S. by moving into a clean, dry unit. You can purchase packaging/protectors to help protect your things until you’re ready to move in properly.

6. You’re moving overseas

Most people who emigrate choose to rent a home in their new country to give themselves some time to scope out the local area and make an informed decision about exactly where they want to live and indeed to find their dream home.

If you are planning to move abroad, placing your existing belongings in storage in the UK will allow you to travel freely without having to worry about transporting everything until you are ready to receive it. You may even be planning to stay abroad for just a year or two and staying in furnished accommodation over there, in which case you can move your belongings into a clean, dry unit and purchase packaging/protectors to help protect your things until you move back to the UK.

7. You’re moving for work

If you’re moving as part of a corporate moving process, you may prefer to store your belongings in self storage and retrieve them when you are settled. You might move into furnished, rented accommodation (especially if yours is a short-term redeployment) and not have room for all of your old furniture. Or you might just want to take the bare essentials with you and be sure that you’re happy moving to a new area for the long term before committing to moving all of your possessions into your new home. Long or short term, you can keep your belongings with us at a low weekly rate for as long as you need. By decluttering, you’ll also be able to see what ‘basics’ you’re left with and how they’ll fit into your new home. Once you’re settled in your new home you can make an informed decision about what you want to keep in the long term and what you are prepared to sell or give away.

Self storage for business stock

You might need to use self storage for your business stock if:

• You don't have room in your existing premises to store stock.
• You’re a growing business and need more space for your stock.
• Your store stock is seasonal and you don’t have enough room on your premises at busy times of the year.
• You run your business across multiple sites and need somewhere central for your stock for easy access.

We’re a very popular choice for online retailers and Amazon sellers to store their business stock, and we’re suitable for almost any other type of business. So whether you need to store shop stock, general stock, or materials and equipment to manufacture stock, consider using N.E.S.S. to keep it all safe and secure.

Benefits of choosing N.E.S.S. for your business storage

There are several good reasons for choosing N.E.S.S. to store your business stock.

Affordable prices

We charge one low, weekly price per unit. You can extend or end your contract at any time, and there are no hidden fees or penalties for doing so. You won’t have to pay business rates on your storage space, unlike traditional commercial leases for warehouse space.

Easy access

We know that it’s vital that you can access your stock whenever you need it.

At N.E.S.S., you can access your unit whenever you like 24 hours a day and 7 days per week.

Secure storage

Our stores are monitored by 24-hour CCTV, security lighting and and you’ll be the only person who can access your unit.

Units in a wide range of sizes

All of our stores offer storage units in a wide range of sizes many with high ceilings. Whether you need to store stock, archives, tools or equipment, you’ll find a secure self storage unit that’s the perfect size.

We also sell a range of boxes, packaging and racking so that you can organise your business stock efficiently.

Flexible business storage terms

At N.E.S.S, you can increase or decrease the size of your unit at any time, with no hidden fees or penalties to pay. You’ll never have to pay for more square footage than you need, and you’ll always have enough space at times when your stock level is high.

You can keep your unit for 7 days, or for however long you need. There are no long tie-in periods, though many of our stores offer discounts if you plan to stay for longer than 12 months.

Who uses self storage for online retail stock?

We have a wide range of customers who use our storage units to keep their stock clean, safe and dry. For example:

Etsy crafters
eBay sellers
Amazon retailers

Independent online retailers
Who run a wide range of businesses and sell a vast array of products including:

• Clothing
• Personalised t-shirts/mugs/gifts
• Greetings cards
• Toys
• Books
• Car/bike parts
• Flexible storage space

If you book a storage unit with us, you can increase or decrease the size of your room whenever you need, with no penalties or fees to pay. This is ideal if your stock tends to fluctuate throughout the year (you might be busier near Christmas, for example).

Convenient storage

You can access your unit at any time and 24-hour access if needed.

Safer and secure

You can move your belongings into a clean, dry unit and you can purchase packaging/protectors to help protect your things. State of the art security systems are installed at all of our sites, including 24 hour recorded CCTV and security lights. Plus, you are the only key holder to your room with unlimited access.

How long should you keep your archives?

This depends on the nature of your business — different rules apply to sole traders (5 years) and limited companies (6 years) for example — and on the type of records. If the nature of your business means that there is a possibility that a claim will be brought against you for breach of contract, you’ll need to keep your files for at least 6 years, and if there’s any risk of a claim being brought for professional negligence, you should retain your files indefinitely for your own protection.

BUSINESS RECORDS IF YOU'RE SELF-EMPLOYED

RUNNING A LIMITED COMPAMY

Where should you keep your archives?

Most of your archiving can be kept safely in clearly-labelled boxes (perhaps organised by year, or contents depending on how your business is organised). If your offices lack space, you can store your archives with N.E.S.S in one of our indoor storage units, the buildings are monitored by CCTV and intruder alarms and to which you will be the only key holder. Our storage units are clean and dry, so your documents will be kept safe until you need them again.
If there are sensitive or legal documents that could not be recreated, these should be kept in a specialist fireproof, waterproof storage room.