Choosing a Commercial Storage Unit

Whether you need storage to meet long-term or short-term needs, when you’re scrambling to store materials, it can be easy to forget to stop and think before choosing a commercial storage unit and company.

Sign with the wrong commercial storage facility, however, and you can find yourself in a year-long contract with a company that doesn’t meet your storage needs through no fault of their own. The next time you need to lease storage space, do the following before you sign any contracts:

Have a Plan

Even if it seems like your team doesn’t have a minute to spare, having them take some time to understand your business’ storage needs can make a huge difference in how successful your experience is. For instance:

• Making a list of everything you’ll need to store can help you evaluate how much space you actually need (so that you don’t over- or underestimate your space requirements).
• Estimating how many boxes you’ll need can help you understand how you will organize the space.
• Remembering to plan for extra room for walking within the unit can prevent delays should staff need to retrieve items from storage.
• Remembering to label boxes is especially critical if you plan on storing paperwork that has not been scanned or digitally recorded in any way. This too can prevent delays if staff need to retrieve paperwork.

Tour the Facility

Taking an in-person tour of the commercial storage facility that you are considering allows you to ascertain the following before you’re locked into a contract:

• Are there sufficient security precautions? For instance, are there outer perimeter security measures (such as a fences) as well as inner (such as cameras and locks)?
• Are units in proper working condition, or are there broken locks and damaged doors?
• Do you see evidence of mice, rats or raccoons that might suggest infestation issues?
  Are staffing levels adequate? If you need to speak to a manager, is one available?

Assess Your Needs

As you think about your storage requirements, be sure to consider the following:

• Will your workers need to visit the storage unit regularly? If so, it’s probably better to choose a storage facility that is near your place of business.
• When will your workers need access to stored items? Is 24-hour access necessary, or are business hours acceptable?
• What sort of environmental protection will stored items need? For instance, are you storing electronic or office equipment that will need temperature-controlled storage units?

Commercial Storage Unit

Security Self Storage in Brookfield offers a variety of standard and heated commercial storage unit(s) in Brookfield, WI. For more information, call us today.