Self-Storage Industry

(Explicit Time/Explicit Space)

The Industry
Self-storage facilities lease space to individuals, usually storing household goods, or to small businesses, usually storing excess inventory or archived records. The rented spaces, known as "units", are secured by the tenant's own lock and key. Facility operators do not have casual access to the contents of the space unlike a professional warehouseman. A self-storage operator never takes possession, care, custody or control of the contents of the storage rental space unless alien is imposed as provided in self-storage laws for non-payment of rent. Self-storage facility operators usually provide computer-controlled access to rental space areas and many use security cameras.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self_storage

Space & Time & Price
Self-storage businesses lease a variety of unit sizes to residential and business customer/tenants. Popular unit sizes include 10x5 (10 feet wide by 5 feet (1.5 m) deep) which is about the size of a large walk-in closet, 10x10 (the size of a child's bedroom), 10x20 (one-car garage), 15x20 and 20x20 (two-car garage). The storage units are typically windowless, walled with corrugated metal, and lockable by the renter. Chain-link fencing or wire mesh may function as a more secure ceiling than a suspended ceiling. Each unit is usually accessed by opening a roll-up metal door, which is usually about the same size as a one-car garage door.

Some self-storage businesses will rent from month to month while others require a minimum number of months or a contract. Rental fees depend on location, size of the self storage unit and amenities, such as climate control. In US, self-storage rent can range from as low as $50 to over $200 per month, depending on requirements. However, even at $200 a month for a full year, the cost is a fraction of that required to replace furnishings for an entire office. For long distance moves, portable self storage units can be delivered right to the business for packing, then moved or stored by the self storage company, as needed.

Companies

1) Advance Moving & Storage, Ithaca, NY USA – Student Summer Storage Service http://www.advancemoving.com/

Advance Moving Company offers college students a variety of options for the storage of their material. The company also offers Student Summer Storage for the entire summer from May to September. All goods are stored in 5 x 5 x 7 vaults. The rates are as the following:

Warehouse Handling In/Out:
l $6.00 per item (minimum storage cost of $90.00)
l $1.00 per item without pick-up/deliver service (minimum $15.00)
Pick-Up or Delivery:
l $90.00 up to 15 items
Over 15 Items:
l $5.00 per item
Insurance:
l $5.00 per $1,000.00 of coverage with a minimum premium of $25.00

2) Price Self Storage, Walnut Creek, CA USA - Wine Storage Service
http://www.priceselfstorage.com/

From individual 18-case lockers to 500-case rooms, Price Self Storage wine storage facility can be configured in a broad variety of layouts to accommodate any size of collection. Walk-in wine lockers can be outfitted with custom-fitted shelves and racks according to the customer’s request.

3) Attic Self Storage, UK – Negotiable Price
http://www.atticselfstorage.co.uk/index.htm

Different from the self-storage companies in US, the customer can hardly find the direct rates on the website of these self-storage companies in UK. The UK companies encourage the customer to call or email them for a quotation according to the customer’s different storage requests. And promotions, price promise and refund are widely employed.

Price Promise: “We pride ourselves on providing both professional and personal customer service. Come on down, pay us a visit and take a look around our brand new store, we’re sure you’ll be impressed with the quality of our service. Nevertheless, we believe you deserve that quality at a fair price – so if you obtain a better quote from a comparable self storage facility within a 3 mile radius, let us know and we will do everything we can to beat them.”

Refund: “We'll even refund your reservation deposit if you've been made to pay one elsewhere.”

Storage charges will vary according to:
what you are storing (very heavy items typically need to remain on the ground floor, for which some of our competitors levy a premium)
how long you need to store it for (whether you qualify for special deals on longer term storage, for example)
what sort of access you require (some of our competitors levy a fee for extended hours access)
the shapes & sizes of individual items will impact how much space you actually need
the extent to which you may want to gain regular access to your belongings will also have an impact– for example, do you need a ‘corridor’ down the middle of the unit to afford easy access to your belongings?
The prices start from as little as £12.50 per week for the customer’s own storage room, but the company does review its prices regularly to ensure they are competitive in the locale.

4) Lock + Store, Singapore
http://www.lockandstore.com.sg/index.html

The storage cost will depend on the size the customer requires. The company has more than 200 different unit sizes, ranging from1.5 square metres (16 square feet) to 18 square metres (200 square feet). The monthly storage cost ranges from $86+GST for the smallest unit to $860+GST for the largest unit. The payment for moving-in is like the following”

Assuming the customer signs up for the smallest unit at $86+GST, he would need to pay:
1 Month Security Deposit* ($86.00) =Deposit* for Security Access Card ($10.00) =1 Time Administrative Fee ($20+GST) =1st Month Rent in Advanced ($86.00 + 7% GST) =Total =* Security Deposits are refundable on move-out
$ 86.00$ 10.00$ 21.40$ 92.02$209.42
The customer only needs to pay the monthly storage fee thereafter. In the above example, the monthly storage fee payable is $92.02, and it will be due on the monthly anniversary of the move-in date.