Tweet

RSS

Often folks are looking to rent storage on short notice. This can be because they’re selling their house and need to stage the home, or because they’re between residences, or for a variety of other reasons. Other times, folks are looking for long-term rental (like an extra garage or just extra house space) in these cases, the timing of securing a storage unit is not as critical, and people can often wait for their desired unit type to come available. Occasionally, renters are looking to move far away temporarily. Perhaps for a military deployment as an example. In most all cases, people aren’t really sure just how long they’ll need their storage unit.

As far in advance as possible, you should review your local market and check availability of unit types. During this time, you can start to get a handle on the different sizes available, the different types available (single story vs. multi-story, temperature controlled vs. drive up, outdoor vs. indoor). You can also start to understand the market pricing in your area… and if some storage facilities are more affordable than others. This is also a good time to compare features, pest control, and security of the different facilities in town. Checkout our blog on [https://www.wildcatstoragecenter.com/blog/danger-of-cheap-self-storage-options] Danger of cheap self-storage options for more suggestions of what to look out for. If your local storage providers have a website, it will make your research easier and faster than having to call many storage operators.

Once you know what availability looks like in your area and what you’re looking for in a unit, you can make a plan for renting the storage you need when you need it. If there’s a newer facility in town, you may find there’s plenty of vacancy that you can rent your desired unit just a few days in advance. On the other hand, in Louisburg, Kansas for example, there aren’t many vacancies, so you should attempt to rent a space at least a month in advance… two months in advance if it is very critical that you get a certain size or want to be at a particular facility. Most self-storage operators having a waiting list that you can join so that when storage becomes available you’re notified and can jump on the unit you want. Don’t delay, however, as it isn’t unusual for a storage unit vacancy to be rented within about 72 hours of the previous tenant giving their 30-day notice to move out. Yes, you may end up paying for months that you don’t need, but if you want a certain unit size in a certain location, most people consider it worth that extra investment.

At Wildcat Storage in Louisburg, we stay at near 100% occupancy. When a tenant gives us notice (30-day’s notice is required) we immediately start calling folks on the waiting list to see if they’re interested in the unit. Because the waiting list may be 10 people long, when we call people they need to be immediately able to make a decision on the unit and place a deposit. That’s the only way we can efficiently process the waiting list. If someone can’t immediately answer when we call, we need to keep going down the waiting list to ensure everyone gets notified in a timely manner.

Bottom line, depending on the amount of supply of your desired storage type and the flexibility in your plans, you may need to plan well in advance to ensure you get the storage that fits your needs.