Renting a storage unit is an idea worth considering when you are looking for easy relocation or simply for the removal of excess stuff from de-cluttering point of view. But, not everything can be moved to a storage unit. Some people try to hire a storage unit for living purposes or to rent it out as an office too. This certainly is not allowed and can lead you to facing eviction from the place instantly. So, living is not allowed, and using it as office is certainly not. Also, the storage unit is not the stuff meant for anything and everything. Listed here are some of the stuffs that can be stored legally in a storage unit.
- Seasonal items: Various countries are bestowed with a variety of seasons. Each season requires you having certain set of things which actually become less relevant as soon as the season changes. Thus, one needs a secured space for the things which will be put to use only on the arrival of the season the following year. Some examples of such stuff are mosquito nets, warm clothes and jackets, gloves and caps, skiing gear, air conditioner, etc. Seasonal items are also those that are required only for a certain festival, such as Easter eggs, Santa Dress, Barbecue unit, lawnmowers, snow removing tools and so on. All such things are required mostly only once a year and so these can clutter the space if kept at the place of current use.
- Household items: The users of storage facility can store the whole entourage of a household at one place during the moving period. Most of these items include lines, bedding, quilts, bedcovers, utensils, toys, furniture, books, swings, baby stroller, shoes, and many more. Anything that is not perishable or combustible can be stored in a storage unit. Storing such things at one place allows the owners to handle the transition with ease and lets them unpack the entourage at their own comfortable pace.
- Office equipment and goods of commercial importance: Office owners need storing file cabinets, computers, furniture, printers and lot of paperwork at a secured location when any one of these are required only for expansion or after relocation. Some businesses like event management, theatres, shipping etc. use these spaces for storing their supplies and work gear. The costumes for theatre artists, lighting equipment, decor material, repairing tool kit, etc. are some of the materials that can be stuffed away at secured place and taken out only when needed.
- Appliances and electronic items: Various electronics items like DVD player, Blu-ray disk player, mixer and grinder, thermostat, refrigerators, etc. can be stored at the unit spaces. These are, however, stored only from the safety point of view. To extract the best performances from the appliances, these need to be stored in climate-proof places. The specialized storage spaces are different from self-storage units and may cost higher too. While storing appliances and electronic items, it must be ensured that the devices are not attached with cables. These should be moisture-free and their coverings should be air-sealed too.
Things that cannot be stored
Once having taken into account what the storable things are, let’s find out what should not be there in the storage unit entourage.
- Plants and living beings: Storage units are only for non-living things. These cannot be used for confining animals or storing plants. It can amount to cruelty against animals. Plants can spoil the internal air and can make the whole place stink. These things can make storage units the breeding ground of disease-causing pets and so should be avoided.
- Weapons and unregistered vehicles: Only legally acquired things are to be stored in a storage unit. But, licensed weapons still are not allowed. The storage unit providers can be contact for more information pertaining to weapons and unregistered vehicles. The clarity of ownership of all articles is mandatory for letting the owners use the storage unit.
- Explosives and other chemicals: Any chemicals that exude fumes or are explosive in nature are not allowed in the storage units because of the safety reasons.
So, get the list of all allowed materials in the storage unit before packing and paying for the space. Not conforming to storage rules can cause legal trouble to all the entities involved.