Last Updated on 30 April 2025 by Dan Wilderness
Hello everyone! One booming sector in the UK at the moment has been self storage, where a response to that question of where shall I put this has been to put it in a storage locker!
I’ve made use of self storage for an extended period during my house move, and so today I’m summarising my experiences and if I thought it was good value for money or not. So on with the review!
(Note: We used Big Yellow and so the experiences below are largely focused on them. I’ve mentioned some other major self-storage providers below, but our experiences in this review are based on them).
(Please note: The Financial Wilderness may also receive a small payout if you make a purchase through a link on this site. It won’t affect the service you receive and we recommend only what we honestly believe to be the best available, not what gives us commission. You can read more about our affiliate policy on our disclaimers page.)
Why I used self storage
I initially used self storage during the sale process for my smallish London 2-bed flat, where we felt we were in danger of the flat starting to look crowded and having a lack of space.
I therefore took self storage with well known name Big Yellow in order to store some of the bigger furniture that I didn’t really need, alongside putting a few bigger items in storage boxes.
The effect was significant – the flat looked significantly more spacious, made living in it easier and definitely helped the sale.
I’ll also just note for transporting my furniture I used a ZipVan which worked well, and reviewed that here.
What do I need to consider with self storage?
Size of your locker
This seems obvious, but it’s probably the easiest thing to get your estimations wrong on because visualising sizes is hard!
When signing up to any self storage option, the emphasis is very much on the upsell and you can find yourself very easily taking more space than you need. Whilst the increased cost may not seem like much, over time you can find this really adds up.
The storage sites lean into this – the descriptions and visual prompts for each unit make them seem a lot smaller than they actually are.
The easiest way to manage this is by physically visiting your planned storage company – they will happily give you a tour and show you the lockers in person. Take a tape measure, get the dimensions and then check your goods – that way you’ll get something just right for you.
How frequently do I need access to my locker?
If you’re looking to store and forget, it may be worth venturing a little further.
Storage units (even within the same group) are priced by demand and I was able to get the same unit at less than half the price by driving 15 minutes to a storage unit rather than one 5 minutes away.
If you’re going to need to swap over or pick things up relatively quickly, it might be worth paying for a unit that’s closer to you.
When do I need access to my locker?
Different storage providers will have different policies on access times. Most have core hours, but some will have out-of-hours access which may be an additional cost.
If you think you might need regular access later in the day, it might be worth targeting units that maximise flexibility of hours.
What am I storing?
If you’re looking at storing furniture etc. there’s no problem at all, but it’s worth checking restrictions on what you can store.
For instance, if you’re looking to store food it can’t be perishable, and you need the agreement of the storage company that it’s been sealed properly. Flammables are generally a no as well – you’re looking at specialists for anything like that.
What other costs apply for self storage?
There’s a couple of other costs you need to think about when taking a self service option. Slightly frustratingly these aren’t included in the ongoing costs and you’ll need to budget for both the below.
The storage company themselves will be able to supply both of these, but it’s an area you can save some money doing the legwork yourself.
A padlock
You’ll need a sizeable padlock to secure the door and to source this yourself. Your storage provider will generally sell you one – but do buy your own, it’s a lot cheaper.
Self storage Insurance
You’ll need to get insurance for the contents of your locker. This is done on a value basis, so will vary depending on what you have stored.
If you sort this yourself, you’ll need to provide a copy of the insurance to the storage provider. Your storage provider may insist on checking specific things are covered, which are usually what get defined as “normal perils”, such as a fire. Most storage specialist insurance companies will have this.
Certain home insurance policies may also already cover you for goods in a storage facility as well (but this is usually an add-on).
You’ll be asked to fill out an insurance list of what you have stored when you put goods in your locker with approximate values.
I used Store and Insure to get my insurance – this was accepted by Big Yellow without issue. Other names in the field include Store Insure and Insurastore.
How much does Self Storage Insurance cost?
As I say dependent on the value you’ve got stored. There’s an annoying minimum insured value you can’t really go below (mine was £2k, despite the goods I was storing being a lot less) and paid about £6 a month.
Can I simply not take Self Storage Insurance?
No, I’m afraid even if you’re prepared to take the risk I wasn’t able to find a storage company that would let me store my goods without insurance.
How much does Self Storage Cost?
I’ll give you some examples from my search, but this really is a how long is a piece of string question – because location and sizes make huge differences and there is no standard pricing.
What is standard is for an introductory rate to be offered, where you may get between 4-12 weeks at a lower price, followed by a standard ongoing price.
I managed to get a 10sqft room just outside London for £5.94 per week for 8 weeks then £11.88 for an ongoing basis. Looking inside London (Zone 2 Southwest London) I was finding quote of £20 introductory and £35 ongoing were not uncommon.
One slight warning I’ll give is that when searching for a quote you seem to trigger a sales process with most of the bigger names where you get a follow up call. This includes if you search multiple locations with the same provider – each one will call you!
I found this slightly annoying – however if you were set on going ahead, I found you can sometimes get some haggle room with the sales person on the phone (it seems to vary depending on how much available space they had).
Is self storage secure?
Yes, the Big Yellow storage facility I used was incredibly well protected.
Beyond my personal padlock, I also had to put in a code on entry known to me (if the door of my unit was opened without me entering an alarm would ring), and saw cameras everywhere.
One time I was collecting items near me a couple accidentally set off their own alarm via forgetting the code, and the staff were straight on it – if it had been a real issue, it would have been picked up fast.
Who are some good UK self storage providers?
Some of the bigger self storage providers in the UK include:
Is self storage worth it?
Yes, particularly as a short term solution. The introductory costs in particular are very reasonable and for the benefits that it can provide when undertaking something like moving house or renovation work it’s a great option for giving yourself more space.
My storage locker was easy to use and I found the staff extremely friendly and professional. There were good facilities in place for transporting my good and making sure I had everything stored safely. Equally, when finishing my contract I found the process of closing down my account easy and simple.
If it’s worth it on a long term basis depends on your situation – if it’s simply a case of you’ve got too much stuff, there may be an argument for decluttering over using a storage solution as it does add up!
What I didn’t like was some of the ancillary extra costs like having to factor in insurance beyond a level I needed – not bank breaking, but a little annoying.
However I do think self-storage is a good option and would absolutely use a similar service again if I needed to.
Any questions?
If you have any questions about our experiences of using self-storage we’d love to hear from you! Just drop us a note in the comments below.
And that’s it!
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