If you’re a reader of the Yorkshire Post, you may have spotted some advice from our very own MD Mike McCarthy in this weekend’s property supplement.
It was all about how self storage can help take some of the stress out of house moving. It’s no secret how tense moving home can be – in fact it’s often cited as following only bereavement or divorce in the list of the most stressful life events you can go through.
Creating much of the anxiety is whether you will actually make it to the finishing line – exchanging contracts on both your new and existing property at the same time. According to a Which report earlier this year, almost a third of people have experienced a property purchase falling through. The reasons typically involved problems with ‘the chain’ with one in five having to pull out because their own sale had fallen through. Over a third collapsed because one of the buyers decided they no longer wanted the property in question. And 13 per cent failed to complete because the seller decided the process was taking too long.
If things fall through, at its best it’s hugely inconvenient but at its worst it can be devastating. However, it can also be expensive. The average amount lost in such a situation was found to be almost £3,000.
Stress comes from the fact that a lot of it is out of your power – so how can you gain some additional control in the process?
One option can be to make yourself the end of the chain. Some people sell their home and temporarily move in with family or into rented accommodation – effectively making themselves a first time buyer. But in that situation many choose furnished accommodation, so they don’t have to move everything they own twice in quick succession. We often get people moving all their goods into our self storage in those circumstances so they can just keep what they need to hand, and everything else is kept safely packed ready for when they complete. If the property market is booming it helps buyers be in a position to make a quick offer, and if it’s slow it means they are guaranteed a sale before they fall in love with a new home.
Even if the chain goes to plan, and no one pulls out, there can often be circumstances where the dates can’t tie up for one reason or another. We will frequently do a removals job and put everything straight into storage containers, which are loaded by forklift truck into our lorries, taken to our secure storage facilities and left sealed for the period of time needed. When the owners get the key to their new home we just load the containers back on to a removal van – so for the homeowner it’s like everything has stayed safely on the van the whole time, and the goods are only handled twice rather than four times.
New builds can create another potential blip in the chain – although there’s no upwards chain, the date the house is finished can be delayed, leaving the buyer needing to be out of their existing property before the new one is ready.
So if you’re packing up and possibly looking to store for a while, what are our top tips?
• Consider what you need your storage to provide. Are you happy for your belongings to be taken away and kept safely until you need them? Or would you like to have ready access to them?
• If you don’t need access, use a BAR approved removals firm who can keep your belongings safely in storage for as long as you need them – and which can be flexible if dates need to change. Ask them to seal the storage containers in your presence when they pack up your home, and then there is no need for them to be reopened until you get the keys to your new place.
• If you will require access to your belongings in between the moves then opt for self-storage that suits your needs. Do you need 24-hour access? Do you want to be able to drive directly up to your unit?
• Ask lots of questions about security. Are there entry pin codes to gain access to the storage building and plenty of cameras? How does your unit lock? Can members of staff access your belongings?
• Size matters – there’s no point paying for more than you need, or finding you run out of space. Storage providers should be able to accurately predict what you would need if briefed properly.
• Self-storage providers should be members of the SSA (Self Storage Association).
• If you’re using self-storage, make the most of the space you hire. Pack things all the way to the ceiling and put sofas and mattresses on end. Chairs should be stacked pad-to-pad and the interiors of appliances can be filled with linens.
• Remember to label things clearly so you can quickly and easily find what you need.