In the middle · 04
Containerised storage in Wimbledon
Storage run as a custody arrangement rather than a rented room. Your belongings are loaded into timber containers at your own address, listed as they go in, sealed in front of you, and kept sealed until you ask for them back. You hold the same numbered inventory we do.
This is the service the rest of the site is arranged around, because in SW19 the dates almost never line up neatly.
How it works
Containerised against self storage
A self-storage unit is a room you rent and a key you keep. You drive your things there, carry them in yourself or pay someone to, and you can walk in whenever the building is open. It suits people who need frequent access to things they are actively using.
Containerised storage is the other trade. The removal crew loads your goods into containers at your house and they stay in those containers. Your things get handled once instead of three times, they travel inside the container rather than being carried in and out of a unit, and access is arranged rather than casual.
For a household between two addresses, containerised is almost always the better answer. For a business that needs to get at its stock every week, a unit probably wins. We will tell you which is which rather than steering you.
Why the chain of custody is the point
Complaints about storage are rarely about damage. They are about not knowing. Something is missing and nobody can say when it was last seen, because the only record is a receipt for a unit.
Writing the inventory at the house fixes that. The list is made where the goods are, in front of you, and it names things rather than counting boxes. The seal number is recorded next to the container number on paperwork you keep. If a seal does not match its line at redelivery, that is dealt with before anything comes off the vehicle.
Getting at your things while they are stored
Possible, with notice. A container has to be brought out and opened with someone present, so it is an arrangement rather than a walk-in.
If you already know you will need particular items — a suit for interviews, tools, a child's things — say so at the survey. We keep those accessible rather than burying them at the back of the first container, and that costs nothing if it is planned.
Who ends up using it
Chains that broke. Renovations that ran on. Sales that completed while the purchase was still being argued about. Families going abroad whose overseas date is not fixed yet. Landlords between tenancies. Businesses during a refit.
And a steady number of people who simply have a house on the market and need it to look like nobody lives there. Decluttering into store is a small job and a common one.
Containerised storage
Questions about containerised storage
01 How much space will I need?
More than you think, in nearly every case. We measure at the survey and put you on the rung of the ladder that fits, rather than asking you to guess. If the survey gets it wrong, the rung changes.
02 Is there a minimum period?
The terms of the arrangement, including any minimum, are set out in your booking contract in writing before you commit. We would rather you read that than take a number from a marketing page.
03 Are my things insured while in store?
Goods in store are covered and the level and exclusions are stated in the booking contract. If you own something unusually valuable, declare it at survey so it is handled and covered properly rather than discovered later.
04 What cannot go into storage?
Anything hazardous or perishable: fuel, gas, chemicals, food, plants. Also anything living, obviously. We give you the full list before collection.
05 Can you deliver straight from storage to an address abroad?
Yes, and it is a common sequence. The export paperwork is built against the inventory we already wrote at your house, which means the customs list is accurate because it was made where the goods were.
06 Do you store for businesses?
Stock, records and office furniture, yes, on the same sealed and inventoried basis. For records in particular the chain of custody tends to matter more than the space does.
Tell us what is moving
Describe the property, where it is going, and whether anything needs holding in between. We read it, ask what is missing, and come back with a written quote.